


Friends

by deanatemytailor



Category: Supernatural
Genre: A little bit of light reading after a tough episode, Accepting John Winchester, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, BAMF Castiel, Bisexual Dean, Bottom Dean, Bullied Castiel, Bullying, Cabins, Confused Castiel, Cute Castiel/Dean Winchester, F/F, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Fluff, Hanging Out, Happy, Homophobic Language, Humor, M/M, Minor Angst, Past Suicidal Thoughts, Sarcastic Castiel, Sexual Content, Top Castiel, counselors, friends - Freeform, most of the angst comes from memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-11
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-04-14 03:38:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 83,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4548828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deanatemytailor/pseuds/deanatemytailor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and his friends go to the summer camp they have been attending for seven years now, and Dean is mostly excited to see Castiel- the sweaters in the summer, dorky glasses, scrawny kid he's been joking around with for years. Of course, with time people change and now Castiel is some good-looking sarcastic nerd who Dean is attracted to instantly. Over the course of the summer, Dean and Castiel become witty, bantering friends who might just turn out to want each other in a slightly different way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is just a little ditty I wanted to do since it's summer and I'm in that camp mood. Just some things to mention:  
> 1\. This place is entirely made up...I'm just a sucker for lakes :)  
> 2\. Title comes from Ed Sheeran's song 'Friends'.  
> 3\. The story is officially edited! Hopefully there are no more (or lesser) mistakes!  
> 4\. Comment and kudos, because it gives me an ego! WOO!
> 
>  
> 
> If you decide to read, enjoy friends!

Dean, Charlie and Jo piled into the Subaru sitting in the driveway of the Winchester’s three-story house in Kansas. Sadly, the three of them had too much packed that the Impala couldn’t handle it. It was probably for the better, anyway, because for some reason the A/C wasn’t working and the black paint job would surely attract more heat than necessary.

Mary stood in the driveway talking to Sam rapidly and kissing his forehead and checking and rechecking his backpack. It was Sam’s first year of going to Camp Georgetown on Georgetown Lake. She was being all motherly and worrying about his well-being and if he could survive the two and a half months away from home.

Of course, Dean would be there and so would his basically adopted sisters Jo and Charlie, but nonetheless, Mary worried. John was impatiently shifting from one foot to the other waiting near the driver’s side. He was aching to get on the road; they had a three-hour drive ahead of them.

Eventually, Mary ushered his son towards the car and Sam climbed into the passenger’s seat with a subtle bitch face and the start of an eye roll.

“Let’s get outta here,” Sam told his dad as he shut the door.

“Mom’s just worried is all,” John told his youngest son.

Dean coughed an obvious, “Mama’s boy” from his seat in the back and Sam turned around to glare at him.

“Alright, no fighting. Sam, what kind of music are we listening to?” John questioned him.

Dean shook his head. “Dad, no. Sam will choose something absolutely terrible and we’ll die!”

“Will not, Dean,” Sam said. Sam was in that whiny, too-good-for-my-older-brother stage of a ripe fifteen years old. Dean himself turned eighteen at the beginning of the year and he was reveling in the glorious freedom it bought him.

Charlie nudged Dean. “You’re the one with the terrible taste. You and John. No offense, Mr. Winchester. Sam is up to date on his pop culture.”

“Dad, we’re being ganged up on,” Dean said when John was finally out of the driveway.

John chuckled. “That’s what we get for enjoying good music.”

Sam plugged his iPod into the AUX and began playing some band called _Mumford and Sons_. It wasn’t too bad and the banjo playing was actually pretty badass, but Dean would never admit that.

Dean was extremely excited to go back to camp this year. It was a place where he felt accepted and there were fun things to do such as jet skiing and swimming and art and sports, etc. He was mostly excited for the woodworking part of the art experience and the canteen food. He also reveled at the camp food. No matter how hard Mary tried, she just couldn’t make food as delicious as the cook, Gabriel, did. Not only that, he was amping up his game by making pastries and cakes and cookies, and hoo boy did that pump Dean's nads.

And then there was Gabriel’s younger brother, Castiel. Dean had been going to Camp Georgetown for five years (Sam started later than him because Mary didn’t think he was ‘ready’), and each year, Dean was always a cabin away from Castiel. They met in the Art Barn. Castiel was always working on sculpture projects while Dean woodworked. They never really spoke much (still haven’t), but Dean loved to make fun of him in only the nicest, flirtiest way possible. Since year one, that was kind of his obligation to Castiel. He owed it to him to make him blush.

Since year one, Castiel had worn braces. He sported these too-big glasses and had a ratty pair of black converse sneakers that looked like dust could come out of them if you slammed them together. He was scrawny and his hair was wild and he always wore sweaters in the heat of summer. Dean thought he was adorable.

That’s when he decided to make fun of him in a way that was only joking and never too harsh, so that Castiel wouldn't _actually_ feel bullied. Dean would always say, “Packing extra heat today?” when Castiel wore his sweater to the bonfire while the temperature was in the high seventies. Or he would say, “Cas, you have eyes! I couldn’t see them behind those thick-rimmed things you call glasses!” It was friendly joking, and Dean knew Castiel was okay with it because he would answer Dean with a blush and a hint of a smile. Dean loved it.

He’d actually had a conversation with Castiel before. The kid was probably a genius and he’d read practically the entire library and he was an ace at sculpture. He always spoke with a dexterity Dean had never seen on anyone else and he was polite. Dean enjoyed their conversations, which were normally about school and where Castiel was from and what he wanted to do in his life.

Castiel was from Illinois and he wanted to teach. Dean didn’t deny he’d be good at it.

So that was one reason he was excited to go back. The other was to see all his friends he hadn’t seen in a while.

Benny was probably his best male friend and most likely the only male who had accepted his coming out as bisexual. Benny was from Louisiana and he’d grown up around people with sticks up their asses and he wanted to be the so-called ‘left wing’ of the family and he accepted everything. Dean hadn’t had much luck with the whole ‘coming out’ thing at school. Of course, Charlie and Jo were gung-ho about it, but his football friends like Al and Luke were extremely opposed. So much in fact, Dean was kicked off the football team. Mary was going to fight it, but Dean told her he’d take up something else. Sure enough, he was pretty good at pool.

And finally, he was excited because this year he was promoted to a counselor at the camp. Jo was still seventeen and had to be under someone, but Charlie, too, was of age, and they’d be assigned an age group each week and would have to take care of the kids during their stay. And the height of this perk- they got paid.

Dean fell asleep halfway through the car ride, the white noise of the road and heat beating through the window acting as a sedative to put him under. Charlie and Jo were playing ‘The Game of Life’ on an app on Jo’s iPad and Sam was reading a book. It was a quiet ride and perfect enough for Dean to sleep.

+

 

Charlie downloaded an app only minutes prior to arriving at camp that mimicked an air horn so as to wake Dean up. He freaked out and punched the phone straight from her hand and it hit the window and fell onto Jo’s lap. Charlie scoffed at Dean and searched her phone for any damage. Dean warned her not to awaken sleeping dragons and Charlie chuckled at his nerdy joke.

Trees surrounded the area around them and it smelled like Christmas. The lake was calm because there wasn’t any wind and around dinnertime the recreational people around the lake went in to enjoy a delicious meal.

Because camp didn’t technically start until tomorrow, there weren’t many people bustling around the camp. He saw a few faces he knew here and there and a few that he didn’t. Jo and Sam were staying with Bobby for the night.

Bobby and a man named Crowley started the camp years ago on a whim. Back when they were in college, they’d made a deal that they would start up a camp for kids for the summer because when they were younger, they always grew extremely bored on hot, sunny days. Thus, they erected Camp Georgetown, and it was probably the most popular camp in the Western United States.

Bobby spotted the Subaru and trodded over to them with a smile on his face. He shook John’s hand and nodded.

“How’s the wife?” he questioned his best friend. John and Bobby served in the military together, and they grew close enough that Dean considered Bobby to be his Uncle. Funny enough, he WAS Jo’s Uncle, and that’s how they became such good friends.

“Swell. She told me to give you lots of love, but I’ll stick to the pleasant handshake.”

“Please, for my sake, do,” Bobby replied. He turned to the kids. “Hiya Dean and Sam. Jo. Charlie.”

“Hi Uncle Bobby,” Jo said, giving him a hug that he was not reciprocating all too well.

“Sup Bobby? Ready for a whole summer with the Winchester’s and friends?” Dean questioned the old man and Bobby groaned.

“Just follow the rules and we’ll still be on good terms by time August rolls around,” he replied. Dean patted him on the back and then sighed.

“Where’s my cabin? I’m gonna go get settled in.”

Bobby pointed his thumb in the direction of the cabins that had been called the ‘over the hills and far away’ cabins. There were two of them up a killer hill, and a forest of trees isolated them and of course there was the long walk up a slanted hill.

Dean groaned. “Seriously? You gave me the killer cabin?”

Bobby chuckled. “Crowley thought you could use the exercise.”

Dean shook his head. “I’m pretty sure he’s evil, by the way. Like, I’m still 99% sure that he is. He’s got beady eyes and THIS only further proves my point.”

Bobby rolled his eyes. “You’d better get going up that hill if you want to make it back down by dinner and assignments.”

Dean spoke a firm “Ha Ha”, and then packed his bag over his shoulder. “Dad, you staying for dinner?”

John shrugged. “Why not? Better see to it Sam gets settled anyway. Mom will have a heyday if I don’t.”

Sam groaned and Jo patted him on the back.

“Well, Jo, Sam, why don’t you two and John follow me back to my cabin, and Charlie, you’re assigned to cabin 1A.”

Charlie squealed. “Woo! Cabin on the lake!”

Dean glared at her. “Oh it’s all shits and giggles for you, ain’t it?”

“Did you pack your hiking boots, Dean? Best put them on,” Charlie replied and then she was skipping off down to her cabin.

+

 

It took Dean a good ten minutes to climb up the hill. He was wheezing and gasping for breath as soon as he made it to the top and he cursed a little ‘fuck you’ to Crowley as he stared down the hill he’d somehow managed to climb. It was right about now he wished he continued working out after he’d been kicked out of football so that he stayed in shape for things such as this. But hey, he’d made it, right?

It was only then that he realized Bobby didn’t tell him which of the two cabins he would be staying in for his duration here at camp. Dean shrugged and assumed the other counselor would be in his or her cabin anyway since they had showed up a little late. He hiked his bag up on his shoulder again and made his way to the first cabin.

The steps creaked as he climbed up each of them and the floorboards copied the stairs as he crossed over to the screen door. The full door was closed as well, but he thought he’d better knock just in case there was someone in there anyway.

He rapped on the door three times and heard footsteps making their way over. Okay, so this obviously wasn’t his cabin. But hey, he could at least meet his neighbor for the rest of the summer, since they were the only two high up in desolation.

The door creaked open and Dean was almost 100% sure his mouth flew open in shock. Castiel was on the other side, and although he looked fuzzy through the screen door, Dean could sense a WHOLE lotta changes from the kid he’d made fun of all these years. First of all, he was tall- almost Dean’s height. Not only that, he lost the glasses and his brilliant blue eyes were bright on his sun kissed skin. His hair was in disarray, but in a stylish sort of way and not in a kid sense that was ratty and unkempt. From what Dean could tell, he’d lost the braces because his lips didn’t stick out the way they used to, and when Dean had, for a fraction of a moment, looked down, he noticed the ratty old shoes were out and Cas replaced them with some tennis shoes that paired nicely with his khaki pants. He was, however, wearing a sweater rolled up to the elbows. Dean thanked the Lord he could make fun of him for SOMETHING this year.

Dean grinned. “Cas!” His voice wavered and he cleared his throat. He needed an escape route. “Nice sweater!”

Cas full on grinned and yup, the braces were no longer there. Instead, Cas had straight teeth and an even better smile and Dean’s heart was racing. Jesus H. Christ when did the scrawny little nerd turn into freaking James Dean in a sweater?

Cas opened the screen door. And oh! As if Dean couldn’t find even more stuff that he couldn’t make fun of Cas about, the guy had scruff. Honest to God scruff. Not only that, but he was fit and he filled out those pants nicely. Even the sweater looked good.

“Hello Dean,” Cas said, motioning for Dean to come in. Dean just stood there, sweat dripping down his neck and his plain black t-shirt sticking to his back and pudgy tummy. His ripped jeans were frumpy looking next to Cas’s cleanliness, and his hair was probably standing on end everywhere. But hey, Cas was inviting him in and he couldn’t let a little sweat get in the way of everything he’d created between them over the past seven years.

“You all set up for the summer?” Dean questioned, and he immediately regretted it afterword. Small talk was not his thing and the answer was obvious when he saw an unpacked duffle bag at the end of a bed and sheets and a blanket over it, as well as some small possessions scattered on the nightstand.

“Yes, I think it’ll do,” Cas replied nicely. He turned on his heel, his bright blue eyes meeting Dean’s. “I take it you are my neighbor since no one would dare climb that hill on a whim. Unless you’re just happy to see me.”

Dean motioned his hands in a wishy-washy way in front of his face. “No, no, no. It looks like the stars have aligned and we are neighbors for the fifth year in a row. And…are you…did you just crack a joke?”

Cas nodded and sat on his bed. “Fortunately I’ve learned from the best and decided to use it against him. It’s funny what confidence can do to a person.”

Dean raised his eyebrows. “What, glasses are gone and you can finally see how to joke with people?”

Cas chuckled. “Glasses are gone because I decided to get contacts and it turns out I had a sense of humor anyway. I had a bully here and I needed to find a way to counterattack.”

Dean gripped his heart in mock pain. “I’m hurt. You know you liked my jokes. You smiled all the time but you were just afraid to tell me to keep on going. Which is why you wore that sweater.” Dean pointed to Cas’s torso. “Because you needed to leave something for me to make fun of you about. I’m very good at solving mysteries.”

“You got me,” Cas said, “although I could say the same about that backpack. You carry that thing around and I might just slip.”

Holy shit, when did this guy get a voice box? When did he get a sense of humor? When did he get that voice that sounded like velvet?

“My Captain America shield backpack is outstanding and everyone loves it. You can’t say that about your sweater. Anyway, I am going to my cabin. It’s been fun bantering with you.”

Dean turned to exit and as he reached the door, Cas said, “I look forward to outwitting you! See you at dinner, Dean.” And then Dean was out the door.

And holy shit did he need to take a deep breath. He could not keep up in there. That was one painful blow after another.

How the hell was he going to continue his favorite pastime of camp when the dude looked like a freaking Angel of the Lord and had the quick responses and witty remarks down to a ‘T’?

He’d just have to make it work. There was always something he could find to joke about, and besides, this was still scrawny little Cas under the…spiffiness.

+

 

Dean unpacked his possessions quickly. It wasn’t like he had much in the first place. His clothes stayed in his trunk and the pictures were easy to hang on his wall. His only issue was with putting the bed sheets on, but after going from one end to the other about a million times and sweating harder than when he ran, the bed was finally set.

Dean held his wrist up and looked at the time. Dinner was in a half hour and, knowing Gabriel, it would probably be spaghetti. Not that he was opposed to it. Gabriel was a good cook after all.

Dean opened the back door to his cabin. Though pine trees surrounded the area, there was a little clearing that allowed him to get a good look at the lake. So yeah, even though the walk up the hill was hell, it sure was worth it for a view like this. And it smelled good- like Christmas. In fact, the ambiance was so alluring, Dean was excited to get started with camp.

He settled down in his bed and opened up a _Deadpool_ comic book and began to read. It was a simple way to kill a half an hour, and there was no way he was going back out to see if Castiel was there. His heart was still coming down from that encounter.

At exactly five thirty, the camp bell chimed and Dean threw his comic to the end of his bed and was out the door in mere seconds. Castiel, too, appeared at the front of his cabin.

Dean mentally feuded in his mind about whether or not to stop and walk with him or to keep going and pretend he didn’t see him or whatever. It turned out, Castiel decided Dean needed to stop.

“How does your cabin look?” Castiel started walking in step with Dean. “Someone told me that your cabin was vandalized at one point and that the roof was caving in or something like that.”

Dean made a terrible decision and let his eyes fall on Cas’s. “It looks great. Better than yours from what I could tell. Maybe your source isn’t too knowledgeable.”

Cas grinned. “I dunno. Hannah knows what she’s talking about most of the time.”

“Hannah?” Dean asked him as he tripped on a rock and played it off as if he knew what he was doing.

“My friend. She’s been going here with me for three years,” Castiel replied. “Of course, you wouldn’t have noticed since you paid so much attention to ME.”

Dean scoffed and then chuckled. “You wish, Novak.”

Not surprisingly, they reached the bottom of the hill quicker than it took Dean to walk up. Campers were running or walking to the dining hall with friends and smiles and laughs. Bobby was in the doorway greeting people, and Crowley was on the inside watching the counselors. Dean got the heebie-jeebies around the guy, but Castiel nodded and gave him a polite, “Hello.”

There was a line to get food, and instantly Dean spotted Charlie, Jo and Sam near the front of it. He turned to Cas.

“It’s been fun tormenting you, but I’m gonna go catch up with my friends,” Dean said. Cas smiled genuinely.

“Of course. Have a good dinner, Dean. I heard the cook was making something fancy tonight.”

Dean rolled his eyes and cut counselors to stand by Charlie. Almost instantly she looked back at Cas and then to Dean.

“Is that scrawny little Novak?” she asked Dean. He nodded.

“Yup. He’s my neighbor…again.”

“Fate,” Jo said, punching him in the shoulder.

“Ha,” Dean replied sarcastically.

Sam scrunched his nose. “Wait, who is Novak?”

Charlie reached past his almost 6’ frame and pointed at Castiel. “That guy standing right there. His name is Castiel Novak, and your brother has been crushing on him for years.”

Dean choked on his spit. “Have not!”

Charlie bitch faced at him. “What do you call teasing him in the most flirtatious way I have ever seen, then?”

Dean crossed his arms over his chest. “Uh, teasing,” he said, annoyed.

Charlie nodded and said, “Sure,” and then began picking out her dinner. Dean, Jo and Sam followed suit. Luckily, Charlie didn’t dare comment anything until they were at their seats because brother Gabriel was out and joking with a plastered grin that never left his face. He was the black sheep of the kitchen, Dean was pretty sure, because the workers Michael, Zach, Raph and Naomi all appeared nonchalant and bored.

They all took their trays to their table, which they sat in every year for the past five years (or four for Jo) and then Charlie opened her mouth to babble on some more.

“Basically,” she began, twirling her spaghetti on her fork (yes, spaghetti), “for the past five years, your bro has been making fun of Castiel in the cutest way ever. And even if he wasn’t flirting then, there’s no way he can’t now. I mean, look at him.”

All their eyes averted to Castiel, who was now picking out his food. He had a serious look on his face while he debated whether or not to eat a peach or an apple. He turned to a girl behind him and she said something and then he was grinning, white teeth shining in the crappy luminescence of the cafeteria. Dean rolled his eyes at himself. This was ridiculous.

“I mean,” Charlie said, stuffing a piece of garlic bread in her mouth, “if I wasn’t into lady parts, I’d go after him. He’s a hot piece of ass.”

Jo nodded. “I agree. And I am into man parts, so I assure you he is damn fine.”

Sam looked at Dean. “He seems nice.”

Dean groaned. “Guys, he’s still scrawny little Cas to me. Besides, even if he was hot, he’s not my type. I’d rather date a guy with the build of Benny and attitude of, I dunno, a Chris Evans type.”

“What about me and Chris Evans?” came a southern accent from behind Dean. Charlie and Dean, who were sitting next to each other, turned around and looked up at a grinning Benny.

“Benny!” Charlie exclaimed. She got out of her seat and hugged him while he struggled to keep his food on his tray.

He looked down at Dean and Dean nodded and smiled up at him. “Hey Benny.”

“Hello brother,” he replied. Charlie let him go and he rounded the table to sit by Sam. “This must be the infamous little Winchester.”

Sam nodded, a little shy.

“Good to meet ya, Sam,” he said. He peeked past him and looked at Jo. “Hey Jo.”

Jo blushed and let out a wavering, “Hey!”

Charlie and Dean privately shared humorous eye contact. During the school year, Jo acted all confident in telling them she had a crush on Benny and that she would ask him out and maybe even kiss him when summer came. Both Charlie and Dean made bets as to when that happened. Jo was poised enough, but when it came to actual crushes, she grew awkward and shy.

Dean bet two months. Charlie bet never. Sam told them that love was not a game. Then the two of them shook hands and the game was on anyway.

Charlie engaged Benny in a conversation about some TV show coming out soon called Supernatural, and Sam and Jo were talking about what classes they were taking next year, which Dean absolutely did NOT want to hear. He was going to college in Kansas and he had absolutely no idea what he wanted to be, and he was jealous that the two were in high school.

Dean stared past Sam’s moppish head of hair over to Castiel’s table. He was with the girl he stood next to in line, and they were talking to the people at their table. He had definitely changed. Dean remembered previous years when Castiel had his nose in a book at meals and would only talk if spoken to. The girl next to him looked familiar too. He supposed it was probably Hannah.

Cas was laughing hard, his nose scrunched up and mouth in a gummy smile. Wrinkles lined his eyes. Dean wondered what they were talking about. He also wondered when Cas got so damned hot. Yeah, guys like Benny were USUALLY his type, but damn if Cas didn’t make him feel all hot and bothered.

This would be an interesting summer.

+

 

John bid Sam and Dean farewell after dinner and they were on their own for two months. Sam was excited to be free from the clutches of his overbearing family and excited to pursue an independent summer. He even warned Dean he wouldn’t be hanging out with him all the time because he was determined to make friends. Dean was okay with that, but he hoped Sammy would check in occasionally.

Assignments were posted in the counselor hangout building, so while Sam and Jo were told to head back to Bobby’s cabin for the night, Charlie, Benny and Dean made for the little shack. Dean had never been in it since this was his first year as a counselor, but he’d heard rumors of the food, TV, games and WiFi that the tiny building held. Not to mention the comfortable seats and snuck in alcohol he’d heard had come from Gabriel.

They entered the building and were not disappointed. Beanbags littered the floor and a mid-sized TV sat on a stand. There was a refrigerator and a kitchen that surrounded it. Board games littered the shelves and there were old telephones (probably for people to call their parents in the 80’s and 90’s) hanging up on the wall. There was also an iPod dock on a stereo. It was a nice getup and it reminded Dean of That 70’s Show.

The counselors were all surrounding a cork board, which Dean assumed held the assignments.

As soon as the people faded away, the three of them got up close to the board. Dean searched for his name, and of course it was at the very bottom. His first age group was the 12’s. Perfect age. Not super childish, but not too old for activities. He headed over to the counter and searched for the paper that said ‘12’s’ at the top. It would tell him what activities he had to go to at what time and when he was allowed a break.

“What did you get?” Charlie questioned him, her face in a grimace.

“12,” Dean said, folding his paper. Charlie ran a hand through her short, red hair.

“I got 17. That’s no fun. They’re, like, my age,” Charlie said. Dean chuckled. The age groups went from 10-17, and of course Charlie and her terrible luck made her get the highest group. Dean wished he started here when he was 10, but he was a mama’s boy when he was younger and couldn’t be separated from her until he was thirteen.

“Sucks for you. Maybe you’ll get Jo.”

Charlie shrugged and Benny came over. “I got 11’s.”

Charlie smacked him in the shoulder. “You two got lucky.”

Benny laughed and picked up his paper. “Sorry Charles, better luck next week.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and said in a whiny voice, “Don’t call me Charles.”

Benny pinched her cheek and headed for the door. “I’m out. Good night you two.”

“Night Benny,” Dean replied.

Charlie turned to Dean. “Do we have anything scheduled together?”

They had art, hiking, and sports together, although sports varied, depending on what the group wanted to do.

After swapping schedules, they bid each other goodnight. Dean was a little sad since there was no campfire, but those festivities would begin tomorrow with the coming of campers.

+

 

The trek up the hill was a bit better. Dean read somewhere that when you became accustomed to something, it went by quicker or more smoothly. Of course, that example he read was about going somewhere and coming back home, and the ride seemed faster on the way home because you’d memorized bits and pieces on the way there. Anyway, Dean was thinking a million miles an hour and his breathing was short, but he’d made it up the hill. Those poor kids. They were expecting fun and instead would get the killer mountain.

Dean put his hands on his hips and took in the sight below. Cabins scattered the open area and then made their way into the forest of trees. The camp brought in about three hundred people a week. Dean, Charlie, Jo and Benny were lucky. Well, even Cas. They all had people they knew working here, and that allowed them the entire summer. It was probably why they’d become fast friends. Well, everyone save for Cas.

And still, somehow Dean and Cas ended up being neighbors every single week of every single year.

He blamed it on Benny’s mom. She was the one who did the camping assignments and ran all the money around it. It was her summer job, and Benny had gone here since he was 10. Charlie’s mother died last year and her husband sold some of the land he had a cabin on to Bobby and Crowley. Since Charlie’s father owned the cabin, it was their go-to on free weeks.

“Enjoying the view?” Castiel asked. Dean turned on his heel instantly and raised his eyebrows.

“More like trying to regain my breath. I’m pretty sure that hill is Hell, and no one can change my mind,” Dean inhaled deeply, “about that.”

Castiel chuckled. “What age group do you have?”

“12’s,” Dean replied simply.

Cas nodded. “Same.”

“Not surprising,” Dean muttered under his breath. “Guess we have most of our stuff together then?”

Castiel shrugged. “Come in.” He waved a hand motioning Dean to follow. Dean let his hands fall, took a deep breath, and then headed up the creaky stairs into Cas’s cabin. He passed all the empty beds to the other side of the cabin and took a seat across from Cas at a table. Cas unfolded his schedule and turned it around so Dean could see.

They had art, free time, lunch and group together. Which meant they would be spending a LOT of time together. Dean always loved group because they played games and bonding activities, but now it seemed like torture if his and Cas’s groups were together for two hours on their ‘bonding’. He’d have to keep up his joking for longer than he was used to.

Cas stood from the chair and started pulling his shirt over his head. Dean watched from his peripheral vision and fiddled with his fingers. He picked up a long sleeve t-shirt and pulled it over his head and then took off his pants as well, so as to put on his plaid pajama pants. Dean could feel his face growing hot and his ears turn red. Cas hadn’t even talked to him in the past five minutes and now he was just going and changing in front of him without so much as a heads up. God, he really was outgoing, wasn’t he? Dean needed to figure him out. There was no way a kid could go from what he was to what he is now without some sort of transformation or…something. He had to know how Cas was like this. He also needed to figure out a way to be with the guy AND play it cool at the same time. It was obvious the dude was giving Dean some major peaks with his heart rate, but at least it was just his looks. Dean didn’t know him well enough to even decide if he liked him generally or not.

Cas turned around and Dean read his shirt. Pontiac Track and Field. Okay, so mystery solved on the scrawny to fit deal. Track. He was a runner. Or a thrower. No, definitely a runner, if his legs were anything to go by. Oh God, Dean was checking him out.

Cas smirked. “So, since it’s only seven o’clock and the night is still young, what’s say we play some cards or chess or something?”

Dean sighed. He guessed it couldn’t be too bad to play a game. Besides, what else was he going to do?

“Why not?” Dean replied. Cas sauntered over to his trunk and knelt down.

“What do you wanna play?”

Dean shrugged. “Poker?”

“Sounds good to me. You’re gonna have to teach me though.” Cas pulled out a deck of cards and set them on the table.

Dean pulled them out of the case and set it aside while Cas took his seat opposite Dean. He shuffled and in the quiet noticed the grasshoppers getting louder in the distance. The wind had picked up as well; the trees were swaying and making sound as the leaves and pine needles were interrupted.

“So,” Dean said, finishing up a bridge, “with two people it’s called ‘heads-up’ poker. Also, we have to play for the pot. You got any cash?”

Cas shook his head. “Nope. Gabriel pays for everything I need here,” he replied simply. Dean shrugged.

“Okay, that’s fine. Um…let’s play for information.”

Cas raised an eyebrow. “Information.” He said it as more of a statement rather than a question.

“Yeah…um…” Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper he had this morning. “You got a pen?”

Cas stood up and went to his nightstand and grabbed a sharpie. He handed it to Dean.

“Okay, so when you put things into the pot, you can put in a question for me and I’ll put a question in for you.” Dean ripped the paper into pieces, concentrating on it with a tongue sticking out. “If I win, you have to answer all my questions. If you win, I’ll answer yours.”

Cas smirked and leaned back in his chair. “That sounds very intimidating.”

Dean looked up with lidded eyes, repeating Castiel’s smirk. “Yes it does.”

He handed Castiel some bits of torn up paper and told him to write down questions on each piece. He waited in silence while Cas thought of inquiries and looked out the window. It was starting to get darker. The sun wouldn’t set until nine though. Sadly, from Cas’s cabin, the lake wasn’t within sight. It was too bad. Cas seemed like the type of person who would appreciate it.

Cas handed Dean the marker and took his turn to wait. Dean had all the questions he needed in mind so it didn’t take him long to mark it all down.

Dean dealt the cards out and explained the game to Cas simultaneously. Cas seemed to understand it on the first explanation and the game got intense fairly quick.

+

 

            Castiel won. Dean was pissed. Well, not really since Cas had lost his sarcastic, secure personality halfway through the game and out came a really awkward, nerd-like boy. Dean saw his old self in him, and he supposed that was good enough for now- to know that Cas still had some of his old, cute self in him. Not that Dean didn’t like new Cas. It was just strange to see him in a whole new light.

            So basically Dean was just pissed he lost at poker because he never frickin lost at poker. Not even against his parents. And they used to play some intense poker.

            Dean sighed. “Alright, alright,” he said over Cas’s chuckling. He slid all the papers near him and opened them, placing his own in the trashcan next to the table.

            Dean rested his green eyes on Cas’s vibrant blue. “You wanna ask em, or do you just want me to read them?”

            Cas slid them back over. “I’ll ask them.” He picked up one of his papers and cleared his throat in a lighthearted manor. “Dean, why are you here all summer every summer?”

            Dean told him about Bobby. That was a simple enough question and it came with an easy answer. Cas pulled another paper. “Okay, next question. Where are you from?”

            “Lawrence, Kansas,” Dean said. “Luckily I don’t have to come far to get here.” He smiled and Cas replied in kind.

            Cas read his next question over in his mind. Dean waited and he assumed Cas was deciding whether or not to ask it. “Are you…do you like guys?” Cas’s eyes fell and Dean wanted to laugh.

            In fact, he kind of had to because Cas looked ashamed he asked the question. Dean was pretty far out of the closet now that it didn’t bother him to tell the truth.

            “Yes sir,” Dean replied. “And girls. I, Dean Winchester, am bisexual and proud!” Dean joked with his tone sounding proper. Cas looked up with an amused smile.

            He crumpled the paper in his hand and threw it at Dean’s head. “I had to ask. There was a rumor going around camp that you were and I was curious.”

            Dean took the ball of paper and rolled it around in his hand. “Yup. Charlie must have told people or something. I only came out at school and to Benny. Oh well. At least now I won’t have to hide!” Dean said, his voice going up an octave to sound proper again.

            Cas laughed.

            “You’re okay with that, right?” Dean asked him. He didn’t know why it would matter so much to some kid he was just starting to talk to this year. Somehow, it kind of did.

            Cas nodded. “Of course, Dean.”

            Relief flooded into Dean and Cas picked up another paper. “Okay, this one is a hard one.”

            “Is it really?” Dean asked, leaning back in his chair and putting his feet up on the windowsill.

            Cas nodded. “Oh yes. Good luck with this one. What is your favorite book?”

            Dean rolled his eyes. “Of course you would ask that. I revert back to the past five years when I say, ‘NERD ALERT!’”

            Cas kicked his leg with his bare foot and Dean jumped. “Jesus man! Your feet are fucking cold and I’m even wearing jeans! Put on some damn socks!”

            Cas rolled his eyes and stood up, shoulders drooping in fake annoyance.

            And of course, he chose the fuzziest socks to put on. Dean laughed once.

            “Nice socks. I gotta warn ya, it ain’t winter yet,” Dean said. Cas sat back down.

            “You’re just jealous,” he replied. He set a foot on Dean’s leg and he felt shivers go up his spine. “And you know what? I complied to your insistence, so, y’know, get over it. They’re warm now.” He took his foot off and Dean cleared his throat.

            “You uh…got another question there?” Dean asked.

            “Oh, right. Last one.” Cas opened it up and said, “Why did you make fun of me?”

            He looked at Dean and continued on, not reading off the paper anymore. “I know it was all just jokes, believe me, but why me? Was I an easy target or something?”

            Dean smirked. “Oh yeah. There was, like, a big sign pointing to you saying, ‘Dean Winchester, please pick on me!’”

            Cas bitch faced and Dean thought it almost beat Sam’s.

            “Nah. You were adorable. Like, not in a ‘wow, he’s so handsome’ sort of way.” Oh God, that was really, really dumb. He had to fix that sentence. “Like, you wore sweaters in the summer dude! Apparently still do. And your glasses were too big for your face. You were just…a dork.”

            Cas’s mouth spread across his face. “A dork? Really?”

            “Yes!” Dean exclaimed.

            “You liked me, didn’t you? I was an easy target, but you enjoyed me.”

            Dean looked up. “I mean, technically I was just messing around with you because it was fun.”

            “But you liked me.”

            “Yeah, you were nice. You could take a joke. I appreciated that.”

            “Good.”

            Dean sighed and looked at his watch. “I guess I’d better head back. I need to take a shower before the kids get here. They’re all at that prepubescent age where they are just discovering things. I’m not looking forward to…that.”

            Cas leaned back in his chair and messed around with a card in his hand. “I highly doubt they are going to masturbate in a shower that only has one light curtain and is surrounded by boys who think it’s hilarious to pull back the curtain and shampoo your eyes or something like that.”

            “You talkin’ from experience here?” Dean asked him, eyebrows furrowing.

            Cas shrugged. “I’ve been bullied before. There’ve been some assholes that come around for camp. Luckily they leave after a week.”

            Dean bit down hard. “If anyone gives you trouble this year, let me know. I’ll beat up anyone that makes fun of my friends.”

            Cas rolled his eyes. “First of all, that would mean you have to beat up yourself.” Dean made a face, as if to tell himself, ‘good point’. “Second, I am now your friend? You have no idea how excited I am!” Cas exclaimed sarcastically, but Dean knew he was actually excited.

            “Hey, I can go back on that in an instant.”

            Cas just chuckled and showed his gums and Dean was warming up.

            “Anyway,” Dean began, “I pulled it off.”

            “Pulled what off?” Cas questioned him, standing up to get his water bottle that was lying on the bed.

            Dean sighed deeply and facetiously. “Do you pay attention? Masturbating in those showers. I was a pro.”

            Cas turned to look at him and Dean swore he was a little red in the ears. Good. If Cas got to him, he had to get back in one way or another. If a little act of sexual activity was all it took to set Cas off, Dean knew how to counterattack.

            “Okay, Dean, you can keep your alone time stories to yourself.” Cas looked down. Ha.

            “I’m just sayin’, Cas,” Dean said, holding his hands up in defeat. “I know what those kids are up to, and there’s always a little excitement to the prospect of getting caught.”

            Cas groaned. “Oh my God.” He rubbed his eyes in his hands and Dean chuckled. He stood up and walked up to Cas, patting him on the shoulder.

            “I’m out of here. Thanks for the game.”

            “Sure, Dean.” Cas smiled. Dean walked over to the door and opened the screen, swatting at the gnats that were swarming there. “Oh, Dean! You didn’t answer the book question.”

            Dean turned around and took in the sight. Cas was still adorable. His plaid pants were too baggy for his slim but fit body and his shirt was oversized for him, even though the arms clung tight to his muscles. He was wearing his fuzzy Christmas socks and his hair was messed up on his head. His face looked serious now. He was actually curious to know Dean’s favorite book, and his hands were anxiously messing with his water bottle.

            Dean smiled. “ _Catcher in the Rye_. I like the aspect of being a kid forever.”

            Cas’s face brightened, his bright blue eyes widening and his smile genuine and pleased. Dean nodded to him in a final goodbye and headed out the door.

            Dean was attached to him now. He was fascinating- a mystery. Everything Cas did was so on the surface, but everything he was still sat deep inside him. Dean had to know him. Fortunately for him, he had the whole summer to figure out his neighbor and newfound friend.


	2. Chapter 2

The camp bell rang at precisely 8:00 am. Dean had already been up for an hour already. The perks of him being a morning person was that he could watch the sun rise over the lake while drinking a cup of coffee from the nifty one-person coffee maker his mom had packed him. It was his go-to drink for early mornings and he most likely couldn’t live without it.

In all honesty, Dean was super excited for camp to start. He had a fine age group, he was with all his friends, and he was ready to begin the camp activities for the week. The kids would arrive at three, and the festivities would commence in the morning.

Dean threw the rest of his coffee out the open window and pulled on a light, black sweatshirt before heading down the steps into the dew chilled morning. It was a beautiful day and the birds were chirping. From what Dean could tell, the lake was like glass.

Opposing to the beautiful, lively sunrise was Castiel. Just as Dean was passing, the teen walked out of his cabin in an oversized sweater, joggers and Birkenstocks. His hair was in even more disarray than it normally was and he was wearing his glasses from the previous years. His eyes were barely open and his mouth was in a big ‘O’ from a yawn.

Dean snorted and leaned against Castiel’s porch.

“Hiya four eyes. Aren’t you beautiful in the morning?” Castiel turned to him and grimaced. Dean chuckled and rounded the porch to the front to meet him. “What, not in the mood for some good old fashioned morning teasing?”

“No,” Castiel replied in a sleepy voice. Dean tried to ignore how nice sounding it was.

“Aw,” Dean said, putting an arm over Castiel’s shoulder, “you’re no fun.”

“It’s eight in the morning. According to scientists, people generally don’t wake up until nine thirty. For me, it’s about eleven.”

Dean let out a laugh. “Dude, I’ve been up for an hour already. You’ll be fine.”

He took back his arm and pushed Cas lightly. Castiel rolled his eyes and stepped faster so as to go further than Dean.

“So,” Dean said when he caught up. Castiel groaned. “Too lazy to put in the contacts today? Or did you want me to notice you?”

“Dean, I am technically blind, and unfortunately when I’m not as awake and lively as you are in the morning, I can’t put in my contacts. It’s too much and my eyes won’t open that far.”

Dean paused and shook his head. “Nah, you just wanted some teasing today. You even wore a big ass sweater.”

Cas frowned. “It’s comfortable.”

“Whatever man,” Dean said with a wide grin. They finally reached the cafeteria and stepped inside without a word.

Many of the counselors were wearing their pajamas and their eyes were drooping like Castiel’s. Yawns escaped the mouths and prompted others to follow suit. Charlie and Sam were two of those people. Charlie was a late-night person; she insisted on watching TV shows until three in the morning. Sam, on the other hand, read books as quick as a flash and stayed up all hours to do so.

Jo and Benny seemed well rested enough and they were pressing into each other. Dean raised his eyebrows at Charlie and nodded his head in their direction. Charlie just rolled her eyes in response and pushed past him in line.

Castiel was still next to Dean. All of his friends cut him and nodded at Cas, but the guy didn’t seem to notice. Either because his glasses were too large that ironically Cas couldn’t see through them, or because he was plain and simply too exhausted to do much but function like a robot.

Dean got himself some eggs and bacon and added some cereal even though he didn’t really need it. Gabriel said hello to him and Cas in a bright and cheery way, and Dean leaned over to inform Cas he needed to learn from his brother on how to handle mornings. Cas responded by pushing past Dean to claim the last apple juice before Dean could get it.

“You son of a bitch,” Dean scoffed. He grabbed a grape and then was off to his claimed table. “See ya later, Cas.”

Cas nodded at him and found a seat.

+

 

“Y’know,” Dean said, mouth full of scrambled eggs, “maybe we should invite Cas over to sit with us during dinner.”

Charlie and Jo turned to look at each other and Dean bitch faced. “What?”

“You want your boyfriend to sit with you at dinner. How sweet!” Charlie exclaimed.

Dean raised his eyebrows and pointed at Charlie, both elbows still on the table. “Okay, fuck you and fuck you too.” He pointed at Jo.

The two girls giggled and Dean rolled his eyes, and then rested them on Cas a couple of tables away. He and the girl, Hannah, were both laughing and the two people in front of them were in on it as well. One of the guys threw a ball of bread at Cas and his smile deepened as he threw it back.

It was like something out of a really cheesy movie. Like, _Twilight_ cheesy.

And Dean didn’t know about this Hannah chick. She seemed pretty clingy…oh, case in point.

Now she slung both arms around Castiel’s left bicep and leaned into him.

Ugh. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to invite Cas for dinner. If he did, Hannah would follow, and maybe Dean wasn’t too thrilled about that.

That familiar word came to him and he took a deep breath. Jealousy. He was not the jealous type. He was no Nick Jonas.

“Yo, earth to Dean. You still with us or over at Castiel’s table?” Jo questioned him. Dean blushed but shook his head.

“Nevermind.”

“Nevermind what?” Charlie asked him.

“About Cas sitting with us. It was a dumb idea,” Dean said. He stood up and set his tray on the tray table and then headed out into the main area that held the volleyball net, basketball court, Ping-Pong table and an assortment of cabins. A couple of counselors were playing volleyball in their pajamas while others laid down in the sunbeams and conversed with their friends.

Dean knew his friends would follow shortly after him. He wasn’t one to get all pissy and then leave in a huff. Okay, maybe he was like that. But his friends knew him well enough that he wouldn’t stay that way long and that he wasn’t always such a dick.

Sure enough, Charlie, Jo and Benny followed. Sam had apparently been called on by Bobby to help him run an errand.

“Hey brother,” Benny said, setting a hand on Dean’s shoulder, “you good?”

“Yeah I’m good,” Dean said.

“Dean, I didn’t mean to tease you that much,” Charlie told him. “Sorry about that.”

Dean shrugged. “It wasn’t you. Don’t worry about it. You guys wanna go down to the dock?”

“Duh,” Jo replied.

+

 

Three o’clock seemed to roll around in no time. Parents and kids loitered the main area while they checked in with the supervisors sitting at a long table. It was obviously a lot louder. All the counselors were told to go back to their cabins to wait for the arrival of their campers.

Dean felt sitting on the porch would be a great idea. He could meet all of his campers as they arrived to their weeklong home, and make them feel like they would have a good time. Especially with twelves. For some of them, it was their first time away from home.

Castiel walked to the end of his porch and looked at Dean. Dean nodded.

“Any kids yet?” Dean asked him.

Castiel shook his head. Dean sighed.

“Hey uh, Cas, you and Hannah wanna join us for dinner tonight?”

Castiel grinned and walked down his steps to come over to Dean.

“That sounds good,” Castiel answered, and Dean didn’t know if he was extremely excited or a bit bummed out.

He didn’t know what to say next, but Castiel obviously wanted to stay and chat since he leaned against the beam that held the roof above the porch up. He cleared his throat.

“I see you’ve become glamorous Cas again. What, the sweater and glasses not working out for you?” Dean smiled and Cas nodded.

“Sadly, it got too hot.”

“Oh, I see you’ve gained some common sense. Good job,” Dean said. Castiel leaned his head against the beam.

“I’m still wearing my Birkenstocks though. Even teasing me won’t get me out of these. They’re comfortable.”

Dean shook his head. “Oh yeah, comfortable as hell. Sadly I look like a frickin’ hick in ‘em, so I decided to stash them in the back of my closet where they will stay until I am not around people.”

Castiel raised his eyebrows. “Well, you’re missing out. If only you didn’t care about your looks. Must be afraid of me getting you back.”

Dean nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh yeah, I’m really worried about what the nerdy Castiel has to say to me. I’m afraid you’ll hurt me.”

Castiel smiled. “I could never hurt you, Dean.” Oh, Cas decided to turn down the sarcasm for once. And boy, did it feel uncomfortable. But also, there were tingles going up Dean’s spine. So, maybe it was good? He needed to quit over-analyzing every goddamned conversation he and Cas had.

“Hello?”

Dean and Castiel looked over to Cas’s cabin where a boy was standing with a large duffle bag and his mother. Castiel knocked on the wood and nodded to Dean before heading over to his own cabin.

Dean could hear a faint, “Hello! I’m Castiel. How are you doing today?” before they entered the cabin.

Man, Dean sorta missed the whole camping experience. He loved meeting new people and having fun camp counselors and that freedom of being away from parents and living on an uncomfortable mattress. Not that he wasn’t on one now or away from parents, but it was a different experience.

Dean’s favorite camp counselor was a man named Victor. It was his first year at camp and he’d been on the bunk atop Benny’s. It was the first time they had met as well. Victor was a fun guy- he was strict in some ways, but for the most part he was helpful and a blast to be around. That was the year they had the water trampoline on the lake and Benny and Dean would go and play on it every time they had a break.

That was also the year some pompous dick named Luke dared Castiel, no, basically forced him, to go on the trampoline even though Cas was afraid of water…or wait, he couldn’t swim. Castiel went on it and one of the dick’s friends named Meg pushed him off.

The lifeguard, Chuck, ended up taking Castiel to the nurse’s office and Dean remembered being super pissed at Luke.

In fact, heh, Dean got him back the next day when he sacrificed his and Benny’s fun time for a little revenge. Luke was jumping on the trampoline by himself and Dean swam by it and cut a little hole in the material with his pocketknife.

The trampoline went soft, Luke got blamed, and Dean felt much better knowing that asshole was in some trouble for his ‘wrongdoings’. Of course, Castiel never knew it was Dean, but he sure remembered the smile on Castiel’s face when a supervisor was scolding Luke.

Cas DID get bullied a lot. Dean remembered quite a few incidences, and he was sure there was probably more behind the curtain he never knew about. There was one thing he knew, if Castiel got bullied this year, they would get theirs. Especially since he and Cas were friends now. If there was one thing Dean went by, it was that he would stick up for his friends no matter what.

“Excuse me,” a voice said. Dean was snapped out of his reverie by a young, pre-pubescent boy with sandy blonde hair and deep circles around his eyes. He was clutching his sleeping bag and dragging his duffle behind him. It appeared his parents decided to let him come up on his own, and he seemed to be somewhat frightened.

“Hey kid,” Dean said and then winced at his tone. He warned himself to become more welcoming. “Uh, what’s your name?”

“Adam,” the kid replied shyly. Dean grinned at him.

“Hi Adam,” he said. “I’m Dean, your counselor. Why don’t you come in and get settled.”

Adam followed after Dean. Because he was the first kid to show up he got to choose his bed. Dean figured he would pick the one next to him and the kid did.

“Okay, let’s set you up.” Adam handed Dean a clean sheet and they worked together to put it on the stiff mattress.

“You excited for camp to start?” Dean questioned him as he fit the corner of the sheet on the mattress.

Adam shook his head.

“Why not?”

“I’m scared the other kids won’t like me,” Adam told him and Dean suddenly felt really bad for this kid.

“Trust me, Adam, I felt the same way as well. There are a bunch of kids who feel that way when they first get here and right away they hit it off with some other kid. It may not even be from your cabin. We have this bonding session where two cabins get together and work with each other to get through some obstacles, so you meet people there too. But honestly, a cabin becomes a family in a weeks time.”

“I sure hope so,” Adam said, setting his sleeping bag on his bed.

“Promise,” Dean replied.

Within the hour, the campers piled in to Dean’s cabin. There were eight total that would be in a cabin. And rest assured, Adam met a kid named Ash and they were suddenly in a conversation about anime, which they both seemed to like.

The other kids introduced themselves to one another and Dean made sure to welcome each of them with a warm smile and some openhearted conversation.

Their first activity as a cabin was right before dinner, and they were supposed to color a picture and put things they enjoyed one it so they could hang it above their bed. That way, each of them could look at one another’s and see if they had anything in common.

Dean drew a gun for hunting, his friends, comic books, a football, pie, the Impala his dad was giving him when he got back home, a guy with crazy hair, a guitar for classic rock, and his brother.

A couple of the kids came over to look at his and ogled over the car he drew (which was extremely good, if he did say so himself), and one kid named Joseph talked to him for ten minutes about hunting and what he hunted and where he hunted and with what kind of gun. All in all, Dean thought, they were off to a good start.

+

 

The dinner bell rang at five, and Dean stopped their game of two truths and a lie to get them all ready for dinner.

“Alright guys,” Dean began as they all came down from their bunks and into the open area of the cabin, “at dinner, you get in a line and choose what you want. The cook's name is Gabriel. Don't forget to comment on his food. Also, he puts out an assortment of shi- uh, stuff and you can choose what you want. From there, choosing a table is all up to you. You guys can sit together as a table or if you have friends in another cabin, you’re free to sit with them. After dinner ends, we all meet out on the basketball court for an after dinner game. So head out there when you are done, alright?”

The boys nodded and Dean led them out to the hill. Castiel and his group were congregated at the top of the hill and he was giving the same spiel to his kids.

Castiel caught sight of Dean and smirked through his words, and then when they crossed paths, both their groups began to walk down the hill together.

“How is it?” Castiel asked, hitting Dean in the shoulder with his own.

“Pretty good. I got in a good talk about hunting, some kid in my cabin once licked his own shit before and another kid forgot his pillow. It’s been fairly eventful.” Castiel chuckled.

“I bet I can beat you. There’s a kid who refuses to take off his Iron Man costume, another kid who has to lay a plastic sheet down because he is still a bed wetter and another kid who literally refuses to talk. I don’t even know his name still.”

Dean raised his eyebrows and then they both laughed. “Ain’t this gonna be a fun week,” Dean said and Castiel nodded.

When they reached the cafeteria, the kids all ran for the food line and Castiel and Dean hung back so they could all form in single file. They lined up afterward and Dean handed a tray to Castiel.

“What obstacle should we do for group tomorrow?” Dean asked Cas.

Cas waved at Gabriel who flicked his tongue up and down in a dirty movement. Castiel said, “Oh my God” and rolled his eyes and then turned back to Dean.

“I was thinking the spider web. It was my least favorite as a camper, so why not get it done first.”

“I’m the champ at that.”

“You think you’re the champ at everything, Dean.”

“That’s cuz I am.”

“You are extremely narcissistic.”

“Thank you.”

“Not a compliment.”

“Thank you anyway. You’re an asshole.”

“Coming from the guy who gave me a burnt smore when I thought you were being nice.”

Dean wish washed his hand and tray. “Whoa there, I was actually being nice that time. Burnt smores are the best. Apparently you don’t think so.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow and left it at that.

The dinner tonight was either lasagna or sloppy joes. Dean went for the lasagna because he was never one to turn up any form of pasta, and Castiel decided on the sloppy joe because he had never been fond of Gabriel’s lasagna. They both took some fruit salad and pudding, and then they poured themselves some chocolate milk from one of the gallon jugs.

Castiel poked Dean’s shoulder and Dean locked eyes with his blue ones. They didn’t cease to amaze Dean ever since he’d really stared at them this year. They were like…nope, no words could describe them. They weren’t ocean or lake water blue. They were something else.

“I’m going to go get Hannah and then I’ll be over.”

Oh right, Dean had invited Cas…which meant Hannah was coming. He took a deep breath. “Sounds good.”

He slammed his tray down next to Benny and Charlie and Jo looked at him from the opposite side.

“You alright there?” Charlie asked.

“Peachy,” Dean replied. “Where’s Sammy?”

Jo pointed to a table in the corner, and Sam was with three other kids who Dean supposed were in his cabin. Sam was invested in something he was talking about, Dean knew, because his eyebrows were furrowed and he was gesticulating wildly. The other kids seemed astonished at whatever Sam was going off about, and Dean was just happy he could report some good news to Mom when he wrote her.

Castiel and Hannah appeared at their table a minute later. Benny, Charlie and Jo looked up at them and Castiel seemed nervous. Hannah looked at them with a friendly smile. Charlie patted the spot next to her with a sly look in her eye, and Dean knew that look from about a mile away. It was her Dorothy and Gilda look. She’d be disappointed to know that her and Cas were sort of a happy mess together.

Castiel nodded to the spot by Dean and he held out his hand to tell him to sit.

“Guys this is Cas. Cas, this is Benny, Charlie and Jo.”

“Hello. This is Hannah,” Cas introduced.

“Hello Hannah,” Charlie said, almost too seductively. Dean slapped a hand over his eyes and Benny smirked.

“Hi Cas,” Benny said, reaching over Dean with his right hand to politely shake Castiel’s. “Swell to meet you.”

Castiel nodded. “To you as well. I’ve seen all of you around here for many years, but it’s nice to finally meet you.”

Jo nodded. “It seems like we already know you, Cas. We’ve heard A LOT about you over the past couple of years.”

Dean’s face turned red and he glared at Jo. He could feel Benny’s smirk next to him and Charlie held in a laugh.

Cas raised an eyebrow and gazed over at Dean, and suddenly the lasagna on his tray became very fascinating.

“Cas,” Charlie began and Dean was grateful for a hopeful change in topic, “how is your group?”

Cas and Charlie conversed for a little bit, and meanwhile Benny and Jo took things off each other's plates to eat it. Hannah was listening to Castiel and Charlie’s conversation, but she stayed quiet for the most part.

Dean tried to figure her out, but like Cas, she was mysterious. Maybe that’s why they fit together so well. Dean stabbed a maraschino cherry in his fruit salad and tried not to dwell on them together. His jealousy had no reason, and he was slightly pissed it was even controlling his moods.

“…and that’s why Black Widow needs her own movie,” Charlie finished as she stuffed a big, mouthwatering spoonful of pudding into her mouth.

Castiel nodded. “I agree. Her character is so diverse and intriguing, there would be no way the film would flop.”

“Not to mention ScarJo is absolutely smoking,” Charlie added, winking at Hannah. She smiled at Charlie and took a sip of her juice.

Castiel nodded politely and Charlie slapped his shoulder from across the table. “Dude, you’re my new best friend.”

Castiel grinned and looked at Dean. “Are you finished?”

Dean looked down at his plate, and almost half of it was unfinished. He shrugged. “I guess.”

“Do you want to go dump your tray with me and then have our groups meet each other? I’ve been watching and all of them have gone outside.”

Dean saw Charlie and Jo smiling in a knowing way from his peripheral and he felt Benny poke him.

“Uh, sounds good. See you guys later?” Dean told them, though it came out as more of a question. Charlie and Jo nodded and Dean didn’t even turn to see what Benny was doing. He did, however, see Hannah’s grin deflate as she looked down at the dent she made in her pistachio pudding. And he was relieved the feeling that was eating him up was passed to her.

+

 

Dean’s group was running around the basketball court playing toilet tag, and as much fun as Dean had when he played it as a kid, he was now a little bit grossed out by whoever had made up the game.

Castiel’s group was talking (or not, if you were no name) and holding on to the basketball pole and spinning around as fast as they could. Castiel rounded his group up, and Dean had many failed attempts to get his group to listen.

Adam immediately was at his side, but many of the jokesters of his cabin said, “Can’t come until you poop and flush, Dean!” Dean ultimately refused and told them if they stopped he would give them a jolly rancher when they got back up to the cabin for the night. Of course, he’d have to delve into his stash of jolly ranchers, which he wasn’t too happy about.

“Okay fellas, this here is our bonding group. The leader who stands before them,” Dean said in an elite sounding voice, “is Cas. But he likes being called buttface. It’s his favorite nickname.”

Cas glared at Dean. Dean smirked at him. “Everyone say hi to buttface!”

“HELLO BUTTFACE!” The kids said in unison and then they giggled.

Castiel’s campers all whispered “buttface” and laughed quietly to each other. Castiel cleared his throat.

“Cabin 2B, this here is Dean. He, however, likes to be called asshat.”

Dean furrowed his brow and murmured to Cas, “They can’t say that.”

Castiel shrugged. “They can if they want. Kids say hello to asshat.”

“HELLO ASSHAT!”

Dean made a ‘not bad’ face and then he and Cas grouped both cabins together so they could explain the idea of bonding.

“So basically,” Dean said, clapping his hands together, “we all get together and we go through obstacles using teamwork. They normally take about two hours, and a lot of them seem impossible, but they aren’t.”

“Is it like last year where we did the box game?” One kid asked.

Dean nodded. “Exactly. That’s the group we are talking about.”

“I don’t like that,” another kid said. “You get all up in each other’s business.”

Castiel laughed and Dean rolled his eyes. “That’s the point. We all get to know one another by being close and using teamwork.”

“That’s a little gay,” another kid said. Dean clammed up and Castiel took a step forward.

“Okay, Scottie, don’t say that again.” He had on his stern voice and Dean was kind of turned on. Oh for fuck’s sake. “It’s fun and it’s not ‘gay’ as you put it, and even if it was, it’s not like it matters. You’ll have fun, I promise.”

Scottie sighed. “O-kay.”

“Good,” Castiel said.

When all the cabins were out from dinner, everyone got into two large circles and began to play a version of musical chairs where people were assigned apples, oranges or bananas and when the person in the middle called their group, they would have to run and find an object to stand next to. Whoever didn’t find one was out and they would take another object from the circle.

Adam actually won the game in their circle, and Dean whispered to him that he would get two jolly ranchers when they got back to the cabin.

Night was growing nearer, though, so Bobby called everyone down to the waterfront campfire.

+

 

The fire once reminded Dean of the campfires his dad would make on their camping trips. It was friggin huge and even had a booming sound that continued on while embers flew into the air. Once he hit high school, though, the fire reminded him of the keggars his so-called friends would take him to. He’d have a beer- didn’t need more than that, but his friends would get shitfaced and Dean would have to drive them home. He supposed being bisexual did have its perks, as he didn’t have to drive them home ever again after he became pestilent.

After that, keggars weren’t so important and the fires he had in the backyard pit with Charlie and Jo were more fun. Besides, there were smores, hot dogs and starbursts to roast over the fire while quoting Ham from _The Sandlot._ No beer necessary.

Okay, Dean did have one occasionally when he went hunting with his dad, but he was under adult supervision…so.

Dean’s entire group sat on the log in front of Castiel’s. Charlie’s group sat across from Dean’s on their log, and hey, Charlie never said that Jo got into her cabin. They must be up to no good all day.

Bobby was at the front of the fire giving out announcements for the week. He reminded Dean of Dumbledore on his pedestal, save for Bobby was just balancing on a flat rock.

Dean had heard this shit before year after year with some of the same jokes, so he stared off at the lake. The sun was setting pink in the backdrop and it was reflecting on the lake. There were some jet skis chasing each other, but that was the only sound. There were some small waves lapping up on the shore, but for the most part it was silent. Dean swore one of these days he’d come down to the water at night and just sit when there wasn't any boats or wind.

Dean felt a shiver go down his spine as some heat hit his neck. He could automatically tell it was Cas, with or without the messy locks of hair hitting his neck. “I have to tell you something.”

Dean shivered. Those words always gave him chills, he told himself, even if it was just Charlie messing around and later telling him that she got an A in math or some shit like that. Yup.

Cas pulled away and Dean felt the goose bumps subside. Bobby got off his rock and Crowley was up next to introduce himself in his high and mighty British accent. Dean didn’t like the guy. He was fishy. But if Bobby liked him, Dean should. Heh, it was a Dumbledore/Snape/Harry deal. How fitting.

After Crowley babbled on about himself and how the camp started and all that crap, Bobby informed everyone that smore ingredients were on the table and people could come and help themselves.

Dean knew from past experiences that you never go and get a smore until the end. There was always enough for everyone, but if you get it in the beginning, the body heat surrounding the fire adds to the flame’s heat and that is one eyebrow burning you can never come back from.

His campers were all uninformed so, not surprisingly, they all booked it for the table of ingredients and sticks and went for it. Castiel’s too. In fact, all the counselors of twelve and unders were sitting on their logs alone. Those who had been attending camp for a couple of years knew the drill.

Dean felt a presence next to him, and he realized Castiel jumped over his log bench to sit by him. Dean turned at smiled at him and Castiel returned it with his own.

“So uh…what do you got to tell me?” Dean questioned him, trying not to act too curious even though his brain was on high alert blaring out, “CAS HAS TO TELL YOU SOMETHING! CAS HAS TO TELL YOU SOMETHING! WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS IT?”

Cas smirked and Dean leaned away from him, not liking where his smile was going.

“I’ve got a brother and a sister. Gabriel and Anna. We all get along infamously. Anna lives in Illinois with her boyfriend. Gabriel, as you know, cooks here and then in the other nine months he owns his own pastry shop in a couple of hours away with his girlfriend, Kali. They are the rebels of the family. I tend to…do what my parents say to try to keep us together. It doesn’t really work out that well.”

Dean had to search his mind for anything that brought up this topic. He furrowed his brow and when he couldn’t find anything that explained why Castiel was talking about his brothers, he said, “Huh?”

Castiel chuckled and handed Dean a piece of paper. Dean unraveled it and it said, “Do you have any siblings other than Gabe and what are they like?”

Ohhhhhhh. It was their poker paper. Wait…Dean threw that away.

“You got it out of the garbage?” Dean questioned him.

Cas winked at him and Dean felt his ears get hot. And it wasn’t from the fire. “I have all of them. You asked, so I’ll answer.”

“But I lost,” Dean informed him, eyebrow quirking up.

Castiel shrugged. “I might have cheated anyway.”

Dean scoffed. “You dick!” He pushed his shoulder and Cas shook his head.

“I don’t cheat, Dean. I’m not that into winning. I’m just answering because you wanted to know.”

Dean pursed his lips. “Alright, hit me with the next one.”

Cas grinned again and leaned in close to Dean. “All in good time.”

He stood up and walked up to the table, noticing that the kids were all eating their gooey snacks and had retired their sticks. Dean breathed so that the oxygen would help the red from his face dissipate, and he stuffed his paper in his pocket. He heard a throat clearing next to him, and he looked over. Charlie and Jo were grinning ear to ear, Jo looking at him from behind Charlie. Dean placed a forefinger and thumb over his eyes and began rubbing. They would give him so much shit for that.

But he had something to look forward to. He would find out the mystery that was Cas.

+

 

Dean lay in his bed, the noises and squeals and laughter from the eight boys playing a game ringing in his ears. They all had stained mouths from the jolly ranchers Dean had promised them (Adam got two, Dean swore), and they had an hour before lights out.

Dean held a blue jolly rancher in his hand and stared at it when the light hit it just right.

He found out how to explain Cas’s eyes.

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Dean lay in his bed, feeling oddly uncomfortable at the silence. His first week campers had gone yesterday, and today was his one day off - Sunday. It was perfect because Bobby had made sure all those campers that were good church-going people attended mass or whatever else they did on Sundays.

            Which sucked. Cas was one of those do-gooders.

            Thus, Dean was stuck in his room since Benny and Jo decided to ride bikes to town to go and see some stupid chick flick movie Jo was looking forward to. On the bright side, Dean was winning his bet with Charlie and if he did, there was money in his pocket for his college books. Sadly, Charlie would have to find illegal PDF’s online. Not like she couldn’t do that though. She was a tech wiz.

            And speaking of being bored, Dean couldn’t hang out with Charlie either since she was visiting her dad at their cabin nearby. Dean was never close to Charlie’s parents, so following her for a friendly visit would be a little awkward.

            Of course, there was always Bobby and Sam, but his kid brother was most likely at the lake swimming with some counselors or reading at Bobby’s cabin. And Bobby…well, he was probably working. With Crowley. No way Dean would be around when that squatty dude was near.

            He supposed he could go down to the art barn and dink around with wood or something, but his boredom kind of won out, as he was even too lazy to walk down the hill.

            So he had Deadpool, a book, a nap or thinking to do.

            Then again, he could just stare at the roof until Cas came back. Church only lasted two hours at most, right?

+

 

            It turned out Cas was one of those people who go to the mass and then pray for a little while afterwards. You know, light the candle, sit in silence type. Dean ended up reading Deadpool while four hours ticked by. Cas strolled in around one and Dean shot up out of the bed as soon as he heard the cheaply made screen door slam against the hinge.

            He bolted through his cabin and knocked on Cas’s door, even though he could see straight through it. Cas was frowning and debating between two outfits to change into. As of now, he wore a white button up and navy blue tie with black slacks and dress shoes. He wore a tan trench coat to top it off, and Dean wanted to laugh at how ridiculous it looked on him. He kinda came across as a douche with a stick up his ass.

            When Dean knocked, he looked up from his clothes and his frown reversed. Dean grinned back and cleared his throat.

            “Have a nice talk with God?”

            Castiel shot him a warning look and Dean backed off. “Can I come in?”

            Cas nodded and Dean entered.

            He sat down on a random bed while Cas continued a contest between his clothing.

            Dean held out his hand. “Let me see.”

            Cas handed them to him and Dean studied them over and handed him the nicer pair.

            “Can’t go wrong with jeans and white shirt,” Dean said, tossing the other clothes in Cas’s trunk. “Look like James Dean and shit.”

            Cas draped his trench coat over a chair and began unbuttoning his white shirt. Dean attempted to busy himself with something and found Cas’s book to be very intriguing all of a sudden.

            “Game of Thrones?” Dean asked him. Cas laughed and Dean looked up through his eyelids at his bare chest.

            Castiel shrugged. “I enjoy the show, so I assumed the books would be even better.”

            “The show is awesome as fuck,” Dean replied. “But why read when you can watch? Besides, you get to see Khaleesi all hot and badass AND Robb Stark all sexy and badass. Best of both worlds!”

            Cas raised his eyebrow after pulling his white t-shirt on. “Robb? Not Jon?”

            “Duh. I mean, Jon is kind of hot and all, but Robb is sexy. Like, he’s hot Cas. Besides, everyone is all hot and bothered by Jon, so why not take the lesser yet more attractive of the two and keep him to yourself.”

            Castiel chuckled and dropped his pants and Dean really had to focus on a random chapter that said ARIA to avoid any and all skin showing from Castiel.

            “Honestly,” Castiel said, pulling up his ripped jeans, “I think Jon is better looking. And more badass, no offense to Robb. I mean, he took the oath. That’s badass, Dean.”

            Dean looked up and oh thank God, he was weird, lanky Cas again, especially in those jeans. The nerves evaporated and suddenly he was joking Dean preying on the lesser, nerdier Castiel again.

            “Agree to disagree, then. What do you want to do today?”

            Castiel furrowed his eyebrows. “You assume I don’t have any prior plans.”

            Dean lay back in the bare bed. “Duh. Who would want to hang out with you?”

            Cas ran a hand through his mess of hair. “Obviously you.”

            Dean sighed. “Didn’t want to have to tell you this, but it’s out of pity.”

            “Oh my God, you’re an ass,” Cas said with a smirk. “Want to go paddle boating?”

            “Do I ever! It’s like it’s begging you to relax since it’s a boat, but it tells you that YOU have to do all the work! My dream!”

            “You are the biggest whiner I have ever met. It’s like talking to a pre-teen,” Castiel said, passing Dean to leave.

            “I’m young at heart, what can I say? Hey! Don’t forget to put on sunscreen. Remember two years ago! You looked like freaking Bashful from _Snow White!”_

            “Oh how sweet,” Castiel began, looking back from the porch, “you even watch children’s movies too!”

            “Fuck yeah I do. Wait up Grandpa!”

+

 

            Dean and Cas met up with all of their friends at dinner. Hannah joined them of course, but luckily today she wasn’t as flirty as she had been. And anyway, Cas was in a debate with Charlie about something nerdy or whatever while Dean, Benny and Jo talked about their week and Dean tried to pry information out of them.

            “How did your guys’ bonding session go?” Charlie asked with a mouthful of Gabriel’s delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. “Mine was absolutely terrible. I had to bond with Rowena’s group, and you know she’s hated me for whatever reason all these years. She made her group destroy mine and we never actually finished a session successfully.” She frowned.

            “I’m pretty sure she’s a witch,” Dean said, and then added, “Cas’s group and mine had a blast. We got through everything in an hour, tops. Isn’t that right, Cas?” Dean nudged him since they were sitting side by side and Cas smiled.

            “Yes. Dean’s group was determined to win since Dean bribed them with candy, and my group found out so I had to buy candy from the canteen to feed to them. Thanks for that, by the way,” Castiel said. Dean beamed at him.

            “I do what I can.”

+

 

            The new groups came in at three on Monday morning. This week, Dean had fourteens and Cas had twelves again. Dean was a bit jealous since fourteen was only a year younger than his brother and he knew how they could act.

            They arrived and were so inclined to meet him and get straight into camp activities that Dean didn’t have any time to say hello to Cas and pop in to meet his new group.

            This group was annoying as hell, but Dean was sure he could handle them. Most of them were into talking about girls and action adventure movies and sports and Dean could handle that. He was more profound in his ways now, though, and he wished he could have a simple conversation that didn’t involve ‘this model’s boobs’ or ‘Mission Impossible was so fuckin’ on point’ or ‘Tom Brady is, like, the best quarterback in the NFL’.

            Out of his group, Dean most liked a kid named Jensen. He kind of reminded him of himself except a bit quieter and more laid back.

            They had their first activities out of the way and were heading down to dinner. Sadly, Cas must have already gone because his cabin was empty. Dean left his campers to find his friends (not like they didn’t know what to do at camp anyway; they’d already been going for five years).

            Dean asked Cas how his new group was and Cas shrugged. He wasn’t really keen on that age group anyway, and having the same kids basically for week two wasn’t really any change.

            Charlie got tens and she was ecstatic about that. Benny now had seventeen’s, and it was his turn to be aggravated.

            Jo was in Rowena’s cabin this week and she was already on her 4G looking up ways to take down a witch.

            Dean summed up the dinner as a crabby one- even Hannah was far off with a frown on her face. Charlie wasn’t in the mood to cheer her up either.

+

 

            Dean wasn’t excited for bonding. He had that bitch Meg as his opposite half, and he still wasn’t over her bullying Cas some years ago. Even when she hit on him and practically ALMOST force-kissed him two years ago because of some little crush, Dean was pissed because he knew she was just using him as some plaything for herself.

            His group, on the other hand, was ecstatic. They got to be close to ‘just budding’ girls and hold their hands on the wire and whatnot.

            Last week, Dean and Cas decided to do ‘the box’. It was this box that had smaller wooden boxes underneath it. You had to somehow fit everyone on that box and when you successfully attempted that, you’d go to the smaller box. There were four of those.

            Basically, you start with one person in the middle and everyone gets on and hugs other people until everyone is on it with precision and balance.

            Dean stood next to Cas the whole time, and it was entirely on purpose. His group got everyone on the big box, and then Cas’s group got on as they swayed and attempted to balance and make sure their feet didn’t accidentally step off and touch the ground. Cas hopped on afterwards, hugging his group and then Dean squeezed on behind him, wrapping his arms around Cas and squeezing the life out of him.

            Maybe it was just playing into his fantasy, but him spooning the hell out of Cas like that made him realize that they fit together perfectly. Like, there was no space between them at all. And, if his eyesight was still 20/20, he was pretty sure he saw goosebumps on Cas’s neck while he breathed on him inches away.

            And yeah…maybe he had to fake go to the bathroom because he got a little too excited and his pants suddenly became too tight. He worked it out in the bathroom though and he was good as new.

            God, he missed that week. The spider web was even fun. Cas hated it, but Dean was on the other side at one point, and the biggest kid pushed Cas up by his feet and he basically flew over to the other side and landed on Dean. They ended up in a fit of laughter, Cas’s belly on Dean’s, while the other kids laughed along. They didn’t realize it was a moment Dean probably wouldn’t ever get out of his mind.

            Now it was he and Meg, and he wasn’t giving in to her bullshit. His group was gonna whoop her group’s ass.

+

 

            It turned out, Dean and Cas had break together again. The first thing Dean did was hug Cas, and the guy turned bright red as a result. He asked, “What was that for?”

            Dean sighed. “You poor, poor bastard. How could you stand Meg being all over you like that all those years ago? She bothered the fuck out of me and I was only with her for an hour and a half. I didn’t even go the rest of the half hour man! I called it quits because I was so done!”

            Castiel chuckled, his face depleting the redness. “I don’t know. She was kind a couple of years ago.”

            “Dude, she was using you to her advantage. Being kind and being manipulative are two different things.”

            Cas seemed to ponder this while Dean sat down next to him on a picnic bench.

            “What do you wanna do for break? I’m getting tired of canoeing and paddle boating. We should do something different.”

            Cas smirked. “You still afraid of heights?”

            “When was I ever afraid of heights?”

            “Remember high ropes three years ago during bonding and Benny pushed you off the log and you freaked out? You started hyperventilating.”

            “I have asthma.”

            “Don’t lie, Dean. You were scared.”

            Dean shrugged. “That was years ago. I’m a new man.”

            “We’ll see about that. C’mon. Don’t forget your inhaler, asthma boy,” Cas said sarcastically with a wide grin. Dean glared at him.

+

 

            They walked the half-mile to the workshop to check out the gear they needed for high ropes. Dean winced when the lady putting on their harness tightened it too much around the balls and Cas laughed. They put on hardhats and then headed over to the ropes.

            A man over there attached them to the high ropes and they climbed up, Dean attempting to keep his cool. He honestly hadn’t done this thing in three years because of the Benny incident. He always passed whenever his bonding session decided to go there, and luckily Cas nor Benny had been with him in a group that chose to do so since then.

            The man at the bottom said he’d be watching them from the campground near the ropes, but ultimately they were alone. He taught them how to attach their clip to the big swing or the zip line to get down before he left and Dean winced. He’d have to go through a maze of shit to get to the two forms of getting down, and he was fifty friggin feet up for God’s sake.

            Cas grinned and then decided to take a right. It was the hardest way out of the maze of stuff, but apparently Cas was a risk taker. The first thing he had was basically a line of rope with two ropes to hold onto at the sides. Cas booked it on that thing and wobbled a whole lot. Dean just stood on the platform and watched him, eyes wide. The first thing he had to do was that damned log Benny pushed him off of. And it didn’t even have anything to hold onto at the sides. He had to steady himself by walking slow and holding the rope going from his harness to the rope above his head for support.

            By time he figured he would start the log, Cas was already done with the first one on his side. He chuckled and Dean told himself to ignore it.

            “Wow, Dean, I thought you were brave! A Robb Stark of sorts,” Cas said and Dean grit his teeth. “Hey, in all seriousness now, you can do it. Just don’t look down; look straight ahead. Steady yourself with the rope and don’t forget that if you fall, you are attached to some heavy-duty stuff and you won’t crash and die. I promise, Dean. Do you trust me?”

            _More than anyone,_ Dean thought. Instead, he put one foot forward and then another, and he realized he was slowly moving across the log without Benny to push him. In the blink of an eye, he was on the other side, and not once did he feel like he was going to fall. Cas clapped from where he was sitting on a platform.

            “Good job! See, nothing to worry about, Dean.” Cas stood up. “Let’s try the next one. You have the spider web, which is easy. You just have to maneuver your way across it and hold on tight.”

            Dean nodded. This one did seem easy. He cleared the gunk in his throat out and looked over his shoulder to see what Cas’s next one was. His eyes widened. Cas had the freaking lily pads next. They were spaced out and were just hunks of square shaped wood connected to a flimsy piece of rope. Dean did not envy that guy.

            He wrapped his hands firmly around the rope and hopped on to the spider web. He moved sideways through it while humming the Spider-Man song under his breath. When he reached the platform, he turned around and Cas was swinging on the last lily pad to get close enough to the platform.

            That looked unsafe as fuck, but Cas apparently trusted the gear he was using and made the final jump nimble and slick and smooth.

            Dean rolled his eyes and saw that up next was the leap of faith. He shook his head.

            “Cas, I can’t do this one.”

            The leap of faith was one platform in between the one he was on and the one on the other side. He literally had to jump to get onto it with nothing to grab hold of.

            “Yes you can, Dean,” Cas said, breathing hard from his jumping. “It’s not a hairsbreadth away. You just jump and grab on to the ropes. One more jump and you’ve reached the end. Don’t you have faith?”

            Dean let out a shaky breath. “Not really, pal,” he muttered.

            “I’ll get to that platform and then you can jump over to me. But you’re going to have to do the first jump alone. Can you do that?”

            Dean nodded slowly.

            “Good. Now wait just one moment,” Cas grunted when he jumped to a tire. His final wave was easy enough; Dean wished he had it.

            Cas got through fast and was now on the platform across from Dean. He was smiling genuinely at Dean as he sat down.

            “Dean, you just have to jump to the one in the middle, okay. Take your time.”

            Dean took a deep breath and nodded and made like he was going to jump but tricked himself and he pulled back. He inhaled hard and let out an airy breath with a laugh. “Maybe I do need an inhaler,” he said and Cas chuckled.

            “The first time I did this,” Cas began, and Dean automatically knew Cas was trying to make Dean forget about how nervous he was, “I was super scared. I had Luke in my group and he was standing behind me and he kept fake pushing me. I was actually crying, but no one could see it. Finally I decided I would go, but before I could actually set my mind to it, I was shoved. Luke pushed me, but he didn’t press me far enough so I fell a little and the harness gave me a terrible rash around my genital area,” Cas said with a laugh and Dean let out a huff of air. “I wasn’t afraid then. The worst thing that could happen was out of the way and I persevered through. I was fine.” Dean sighed. Cas continued. “My point is you can do this, Dean. The worst of it is not bad and the only way the bad can happen is if you allow it to.”

            _Damn_ , Dean thought, _Cas should take up public speaking._ Dean went for it then. He jumped as hard as he could, and maybe even a little too far because he landed just on the edge of the other side of the pedestal. He quickly grabbed onto the ropes and took a deep breath. God, he was acting like such a baby. He was being ridiculous.

            “Good,” Cas said. “One more jump. I can reach out and grab you if you need me to. I’ll be right here.” Dean looked into his caring, jolly rancher blue eyes and nodded and then jumped without thinking. He made it successfully, but Cas took hold of him anyway, just so he was made aware he was okay.

            He let out one last deep breath and let his head fall onto Cas’s shoulder.

            “You’re like freaking Deadpool or something,” Dean said, his voice muffled. “I’m like a damsel in distress.”

            Cas laughed and pushed Dean away from him to look at him. “Dean, if you weren’t brave, you wouldn’t have done any of that. You would have turned back and gone down the way you came. You’re brave and you didn’t need me at all. I was only there for moral support. Which is always good to have, anyway.”

            Dean nodded. “Thanks Cas.”

            “Any time,” Cas replied.

            “You’d better not tell anyone about this,” Dean warned, sticking his finger close to Cas’s face.

            “Aw, that ruins all the fun,” Cas whined and Dean pushed him a little.

            “Zip line down?” Dean questioned him. Cas nodded.

            They both hooked their clips onto the line and decided to go down together, even though it was extremely frowned upon by the camp. Dean decided if they got kicked out, Dean would make Sam do the puppy dog eyes to Bobby and they’d be back in as quick as a flash.

            “Ready?” Cas questioned Dean in his ear. Dean shivered and Cas pushed them off from the platform and they were zooming at an angle fifty feet down.

            It was over quick, but Dean loved it (and not just because Cas was right behind him, pressing up against him). They unhooked their clips and made their way back to camp. It was probably a good thing, anyway, since dinner started in fifteen minutes. They returned their gear and walked in sync back to camp.

            “Hey Cas,” Dean said, nudging his shoulder, “thanks for everything today. I feel like a complete wimp.”

            “Dean, you could whoop my ass at other things. Just because you can’t do one thing, doesn’t mean you’re a wimp. And besides, what’s wrong with being a wimp?” Cas winked and set off at a run. Of course, Dean knew Cas was referring to his old days where he was lanky and weird and Dean’s angel whom he picked on. And there was absolutely nothing wrong with him at that time or ever.

+

           

            “Yeah, he made it across, Benny,” Cas said, mouth full of Gabriel’s chicken fettuccini. “Quicker than you ever did. And he did the leap of faith. Remember how you chickened out and went back to go a different way?” Cas smirked; he was very talkative tonight and in a defensive way, too. Especially about Dean. Dean wasn’t sure he liked it- it was like Cas was dominating over him in some ways.

            Which actually was kind of a turn on.

            Oh my God. He had to stop this thinking, especially during dinner. Food already made him half horny and Cas added onto the mix was just one recipe for disaster.

            “Damn, good job brother. Didn’t think you had it in you,” Benny said, southern molasses vernacular coming out.

            “Damn straight I did,” Dean said, winking at Cas.

            Charlie leaned into Hannah and said, “Didn’t WE have a great break?”

            Hannah smiled serenely and nodded. “Yes. Charlie and I went swimming today on break. They put in a new trampoline.”

            Jo laughed. “What, Luke is gone so now they can put a new one in?”

            Charlie snorted. “They'd better watch out. They suspected the wrong guy!”

            Dean opened is eyes wide and cleared his throat. He shook his head at Charlie and mouthed, ‘DON’T!’

            “Wait, what?” Cas asked, turning to Charlie from his spot next to Hannah. “Luke didn’t pop the tube?”

            Charlie pulled her lip to the side. “No, I think he did, I was wrong.”

            Castiel furrowed his brow. “I’m not following. I thought he did pop the trampoline. He got into a lot of trouble for that.”

            “Yeah, thanks to Dean,” Sam said blandly as he slammed his tray down next to Dean. “He popped it so Luke would get in trouble so as to avenge your near death. Can someone please pass the salt?”

            Charlie slid it down the table and Sam rested a hand on his chin while nonchalantly pouring salt on his corn on the cob.

            Cas turned his head to Dean, eyes wide. Dean looked down at his plate and rolled his peas over with his fork.

            “Is that true, Dean?”

            “It happened years ago, Cas. It’s not important anymore.”

            “Did you?”

            Dean groaned. “So what if I did? He deserved it.”

            Dean looked up and Cas was staring so hard at him, he could almost feel the emotions through the invisible space between them.

            “What?”

            “You’re my hero.”

            Dean blushed a fierce shade of crimson because when Cas said that, it wasn’t in a sarcastic way or in a _Ferris Bueller_ way or whatever. He was dead serious. Everyone else at the table grew quiet and looked up from their dinner, staring at Cas.

            Dean wanted to change the subject. He wanted to turn to Sam and ask him why he was being such an ass tonight, or to turn to Jo and ask when the hell she and Benny were just going to kiss and get together already. Or even turn to Charlie and ask her why she didn’t grab a napkin because there was food at the corner of her mouth. Or even turn to Hannah and ask her about her life story. Anything but to have Cas explain this painful honesty.

            His heart was beating really fast and his ears were hot.

            “Dean, I’m dead serious,” Cas said, pushing his tray away. Dean looked up at him and they locked eyes. He couldn’t pull his away. “Up until that point I had been bullied all my life in a way that was both physically and emotionally painful, and it didn’t just come from kids at school.” Cas choked up a bit and Dean realized he was not ready for a confession here. “You were the only one who was actually nice to me and talked to me. Anyone else who talked to me was a bully. Even though you joked, you were always kind. That’s no matter though.” Cas took a deep breath. “Dean, that night, after Meg pushed me and Luke prompted her to, I was honestly going to kill myself.”

            Dean swallowed a lump in his throat and felt the urge to bring his eyes to the table but trained them on Cas’s wet blue ones because he needed him to. He could feel the tension between everyone at the table, even Hannah. Cas must not have ever told her.

            “When Luke got in trouble later, I was so happy. I knew Luke didn’t do it; I assumed it was karma or God or someone else getting him back for all the shit he did to me. I realized life was worth living if I got to see all the people get slapped by karma for all the stuff they put me through. I thought God was my hero, or whatever.”

            Cas smiled. “It was you.”

            “He deserved it,” was all Dean could say, and it was in a tiny voice, too.

            “Thank you,” Cas said. “Thank you so much, Dean.”

            “You’re welcome,” Dean said quietly.

            After that, Charlie quickly changed the subject, but Dean was still sitting with the heavy burden Cas put on him. His hero? Hero stuff was for Deadpool and Captain America and freaking Angelina Jolie or something. Not only that, but he was now officially sure he was in love with Cas. He felt the urge to protect him, and not because of his new status, but because he wanted Cas to be safe and cherished and felt loved. Because he was. By Dean. And probably for a little while, now that he thought about it. Charlie was right. There must have been some underlying crush Dean had for him to go out of his way to tease Cas all these years and flirt with him undeniably to see him turn red or walk away with his tail between his legs. Mind you, this was before Cas was Mr. Sarcastic Sexy Asshole. Who also happened to probably be Dean’s first actual love. There was Lisa, but she was more of a 'him telling himself this was what love was’ sort of deal. Besides, he was only fifteen. He was Sam’s age. What did they know about love? No, this feeling, this painful gut feeling Dean had…he knew it was something different. It was love and he felt it when he looked at Castiel and his jolly rancher blue eyes and his gummy smile and his hair that looked windswept.

            He also knew it was love because as Hannah took his hand in her own and leaned into his shoulder and he repeated her actions while closing his eyes, he felt a pang of hurt and jealousy mixed with love. He felt the need to go over there and untangle them and march Cas back up to his cabin and kiss him goodnight and make sure he’d liked it so it was just him and Cas and no one else.

            But Cas was free and for all Dean knew he was straight and by all means he had the rights to anyone. And Hannah was his friend for the past couple of years. She was the one who stood by his side and was his friend longer than Dean. Dean was the guy on the sidelines who sometimes flirted and left a smile on Castiel’s face when he needed it.

            Hannah was ALWAYS there to put a smile on his face. And even though she barely talked, Dean didn’t like her. She seemed robotic and…she was all over something he wanted. No, there was no real reason to hate her. Besides, all of his friends liked her- even Sam.

            Dean ground his teeth and stood up. “I’m gonna.”

            He didn’t finish his sentence but he didn’t feel like he needed to. He made the mistake of looking back and Hannah was running a hand through Cas’s hair and rubbing his back in a soothing way. Sure, they’d all just been informed Cas was once suicidal and sure, it was Hannah’s job to be the person who made Cas calm down, but Dean couldn’t bear it. Not when he’d become the freaking kid from _Love Actually._ Love was fucking painful.

+

 

            Dean found his campers at the campfire and sat by them. Bobby and Crowley went through their monotonous job of repeating themselves from the previous week and introducing kids to camp. Dean zoned out and tried not to think about Hannah’s dainty fingers all over Cas and attempted to imagine Chris Evans or Khaleesi talking to him. He never got past the initial ‘hello’ before the image faded into Cas and Hannah again. It was eating him up and he was becoming the equivalent of freaking Edward Cullen.

            Jensen leaned close to Dean. “Are you okay?”

            Dean sighed and nodded. “Yeah, just having some trouble in my friend group.”

            “Castiel?” Jensen asked. Dean decided ‘fuck it’ and nodded again.

            Jensen smiled. “You’ll be alright.”

            It was enough for that moment. Dean perked up and Crowley ended his boring ass speech and marshmallows were laid out and the naïve little kids all ran for it while the older people stayed behind.

            Dean wasn’t hungry enough that night for a smore, nor was he in the mood to quote Ham. He was just tired and wanted to sleep away all the drama from one day. It was like _Days of our Lives_ bad, and he needed it to be over. He knew his feelings for Cas wouldn’t go away, but they'd leave while he dreamt about random shit that took his mind off reality.

+

 

            Dean’s group was laughing and joking as they walked up the hill. Castiel’s group was only a little ways behind them, but Dean wasn’t really in the mood to stop and joke around.

            Apparently Cas was ready for a little conversing, though, because he ran up the hill to catch up to Dean. He felt his heart rate speed up.

            “Hey Dean,” Cas said, nudging his shoulder. Apparently this was becoming their thing. “I got you something.”

            Dean raised an eyebrow and Cas reached into his sweatshirt pocket and pulled out a plastic bag. “Gabriel made pie for his kitchen crew. I snuck a piece for you. It’s cherry.”

            Dean looked down at Cas’s nimble fingers and grinned. “Thank you.”

            Cas sighed. “Dean, I’m grateful for you, do you know that?”

            Dean closed his eyes for half a second. He wanted this to be over.

            “I’m serious, Dean. You were in my place today at the high ropes. I was the one making that leap and you were at the end to help me.”

            Dean was about to say something but he felt Cas’s hand slip into his, even if only for a minute. He squeezed it, nudged Dean’s shoulder and let go. Dean’s face was red but his heart was beating a mile a minute and Cas still stayed next to him.

            They walked in silence until they reached the top and then each group went into their cabins, respectively. Cas stopped Dean with a hand on his left shoulder and smiled. “I’m still a never- been- kissed virgin and I’m eighteen years old. I blame it on the lack of people who are deserving of me.”

            Dean’s blush caught fire and heated his neck and other places he’s probably never blushed before. “Huh?” Why was he saying this?

            “One of your questions,” Cas said, pulling out a slip of paper. Dean’s heart fell back to a normal pace and he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Jesus fuck, oh right. The questions.          

            “You said, and I quote, ‘Are you still a virgin? Cuz you obviously were last year you innocent little nerd’.” Dean smirked.

            “Awe, so no one is deserving of you?”

            “I’m still on the fact that you called me an innocent little nerd. How rude!” Cas laughed, throwing the paper in Dean’s face. Dean stuck his tongue out. “Oh, mature.”

            “I’m serious! You all high and mighty now, so no one deserves you?”

            Cas smiled genuinely. “You never know,” he replied with a wink and then left to turn in for the night.

            Dean blushed and kept that wink in his mind all night. At least he had a chance, right? If there was anything Dean Winchester was good at, it was taking chances.

           


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Promise the good stuff is coming soon!  
> Enjoy!

Out of all the things Dean was excited about, every two weeks was probably topping the list. Bobby realized counselors have things to do and people to see in the summer because, hey, it’s summer, and so every two weeks was a free week for the counselors.

            Of course, most people just stayed on base anyway since they lived far away and didn’t want to drive or pay for an airline ticket for a simple week. There were a few, though, and Dean wondered if they were crazy for leaving on a free week. There was so much to offer up here at camp at this time. No curfew, no schedules…basically anyone could do whatever they wanted and show up to meals if there wasn’t something already preoccupying them.

            Yesterday after the campers left, Dean, Charlie, Jo, Benny, Cas and Hannah were all coming up with plans for things to do during their off week. Charlie and Jo wanted to head over to the nearest town to shop and see movies, but the only friend who had a damned car was Benny and it was a beaten up two door Chevy. Charlie argued that everyone could pile into the back and lay down in case there were coppers, but Cas the goody-two-shoes was not up for breaking the law. Besides, that would only take up one day and as Charlie said, “We’re free for a week motherfuckers!”

            “Why not Charlie’s dad’s place?” Sam had asked as he sat down by Jo.

            And thus, everyone made plans to have a weeklong camping trip to Charlie’s cabin. It was big enough that everyone could claim a bed, and Charlie had a bunch of fun stuff to do in there…not to mention the TV Dean was actually missing. He didn’t like the TV in the counselor’s hang out because it was always on some stupid reality show that girl counselors were obsessed with.

            However, because Sam came up with the idea, he was obligated to come along. Dean really didn’t mind. Sammy was actually a cool kid and he mostly kept to his books anyway. Also, Cas really enjoyed talking to him and it made Dean smile to see someone so invested in his awkward little brother.

            And then Cas asked if he could bring Gabriel along because his brother would not leave him alone and kept nagging him about how he would spend his free week. Dean was pretty sure he saw a text with his name in it, but he wasn’t gonna say anything to Cas.

            “Alright,” Charlie had agreed. “Slumber party! Sam I call braiding your glorious locks first!”

+

 

            First thing in the morning on Monday, almost everyone met on the basketball courts. Gabriel had to make breakfast and then he had the week off while Michael (the lesser cook) took over. Gabe said he’d be there around noon.

            Everyone’s bags were packed with unfolded clothes stuffed in them and blankets were strewn over the bags. The wake up bell started ringing at seven o’clock.

            “Alright, you guys ready?” Charlie questioned. There were tired, yawning nods and then they were off on the path to Charlie’s house.

            Dean, Jo and Sam were the only ones who had been to Charlie’s cabin. Not even Benny had visited before, so he was in for a treat. The cabin was made of all logs and it was medium-sized. There were four rooms and an attic and the kitchen was a wraparound with an island. Outside, the lake was gently bobbing a motorboat with an inner tube sitting inside of it, and two jet ski’s were tied to the left. Dean was giddy to get out on the water.

            Charlie unlocked the sliding glass door and they all dropped their heavy bags once inside. None of them really conversed on the way over, sleep still in their eyes after getting only five hours. Last night, they’d all hung out and played board games in the counselor’s room until two.

            “Holy shit,” Benny said, stretching out the arm he used to carry his belongings.

            “Charlie, this place is outstanding,” Cas commented, looking around the open living room and kitchen area.

            “Hey, I ain’t the person who designed it. Thank John Doe,” she replied, falling into a recliner. “Oh my God, it feels good to sink into some soft furniture. Anyone else think those camp beds feel like prison mattresses?”

            A couple of people nodded and Charlie sighed and slapped her hands on the arms of the recliner. “Hannah, you wanna come with me outside to turn the water on? Oh, right guys, no pissing till I turn the water on.”

            Dean held up his hands in surrender as Charlie glared at him. So yeah, he forgot once. It’s not like anything bad happened.

            Hannah stepped over next to Charlie and grinned, showing teeth. “You guys can choose where you wanna sleep, but the room in the back is mine and Hannah’s. Some of you might have to share, and don’t forget Gabe is still coming!” Charlie fisted Hannah’s tank top and guided her out the door in a cheerful mood.

            Dean turned to the guys and Jo and raised his eyebrows. “Rooms?”

            “Yup,” Jo replied.

            Jo decided she would sleep in the room to the left of Charlie’s. It was the go-to room for anyone who wanted to sleep until freaking noon the next day because the bed was so comfortable that no one would dare get off. Dean slept there once, but only because Mr. Bradbury set his things in there that day and Dean felt it would be rude to move them.

            Benny took the room to the right of Charlie’s. It was a smaller room with a tiny bed, but it turned pitch black at night because of the shades. It was actually Dean’s favorite room, but he decided Benny could have it since it was his first time coming here. He needed the gold pass experience.

            Of course, Sam didn’t want a room. He was always so anal about where he would stay and what the view was or what the room had in it. He absolutely refused the attic because he, quote, ‘didn’t like spiders’, but Dean was pretty sure he was afraid of some monster under his bed or something. Sam also didn’t want the final room down the hall behind the kitchen because it didn’t face the lake and the ambiance just wasn’t right for him. Not only that, the ‘sheets are too scratchy’.

            Dean was pretty sure he’d rolled his eyes twenty times at Sam before the kid decided to stay on a couch in the living room. Sam thought it would be best because he could leave the light on as long as he wanted and there was a giant window that showed the beautiful view of the lake. Also, he was by the refrigerator, and he had a knack for midnight snacking. Of course it was carrots or some shit like that, but he ate nonetheless.

            Dean told Cas he did not want to share a room with Gabriel, but he wanted to stay in the attic. Okay, yeah, it was kind of a tactic to get Cas to stay with him, but it was also true. The sheets WERE scratchy. And Dean knew Cas wouldn’t want to share a queen bed with Gabriel, so there he was, left with one option. Unless he wanted the couch opposite Sam, but Dean wouldn’t bring that up…just in case.

            “Do you mind if I share with you?” Castiel questioned behind Dean as they climbed up the ladder that led to the attic.

            “Nah, it’ll be fun. Kind of like we are now; neighbors and such.” Dean was pretty sure his voice was muffled as he stuck his head into the room, but Cas grunted in response. He sniffed and got a whiff of musty furniture and a hint of vanilla coming from an old air freshener.

            There were two squeaky twin beds in this room, and a small TV sat in the corner so both beds could see it. In between the beds were a nightstand and a lamp and the floors were covered with a moth eaten carpet. Dean loved it up here- not necessarily for sleeping, but when they were little, they’d have tons of adventures in it.

            “This is quaint,” Cas said, placing his bags gently on the bed to the left and sitting down on it. The springs gasped and squeaked under his weight and Cas looked down at the pink sheets.

            “Hey,” Dean said with a smirk, “they look like they come straight from the seventies, but you sleep like a freaking sloth on these things.”

            Dean jumped onto his own bed, the springs on his even louder than Cas’s. He shuffled until he was comfortable and shut his eyes.

            “I think this week will be fun, Dean.”

            “Don’t go gettin’ all sappy on me now,” Dean warned, opening one eye to stare at Cas.

            “I’m not being sappy! I’m just saying it will be fun because now that we’re closer, I can find all the little things that make you tick!”

            Dean raised his eyebrows and then shut his eyes again. “Good luck with that, buddy. I don’t tick easily.”

            “I’m not so sure about that,” Cas replied, throwing a cover pillow at Dean’s face. Dean grumbled when it hit him and then he tossed it on the ground.

            “Nice try. Better luck next time.”

            “DEAN! CAS! YOU GUYS COMING OR WHAT?!” Jo yelled from downstairs. Dean sat up and looked at Cas.

            “Where?” He shouted back.

            “Where do you think, dumbass? There’s a perfectly good boat and tube that need riding in!”

            Dean fist pumped. “Fuck yeah.” He turned to Cas. “You ever gone tubing before?”

            Cas shook his head and Dean whistled. “Oh man, you’re in for a treat. Get your trunks on!”

 

+

 

            Although Charlie was a complete feminist and didn’t judge people based off of any of their capabilities and gender and anything else that shouldn’t define people, she was very adamant on letting Benny drive the boat because he was a, “strong man with a sharp eyesight and muscles like the Hulk.”

            Dean pretended he was okay with it, but he was secretly hoping he could drive and show off and maybe be a little crazy. But they had the jet skis still, and there was no holding back on one of those things.

            “I think Sam and Jo should go first since they’re the smallest. They’ll flop around like fish out of water,” Charlie commented, pressing a joking elbow into Hannah’s side.

            Cas was next to her as well, leaving Dean in the front next to Benny and Jo. His jealousy was getting out of hand, and besides, Cas was only talking to her about some ways to stay on the tube while they hit waves or some shit like that. In other words, he was being nerdy about tubing.

            “Hey Cas,” Dean interrupted. Hannah turned her head with Cas, but Dean didn’t look at her. “They key to tubing is to have fun and to not do all that shit because who wants to stay on the freaking tube anyway?”

            Sam raised his hand. “Um, me, Dean. I would like to stay on the tube.”

            Dean made a pouty face and looked at his kid brother. “Aw, is Sammy scared of Jaws?”

            Sam bitch faced and stepped up on the platform. “Shove off, Dean. I’m not afraid. It’s just eight in the morning and still a little chilly. I’d like to not catch a cold on my free week.”

            Dean chuckled. “You’re no fun. Jo, you going?”

            Jo nodded and raced to the back of the boat, hopped up on the side, and jumped off into the water. Everyone laughed and Dean chucked a life jacket at her.

            “It’s f-f-fuckin’ cold,” she chattered as she attempted to haul herself up onto the inner tube. Sam turned back to Dean, his bitch face still going strong as he clung to the armpits of his lifejacket.

            “Hey Sam,” Benny began, “I’ll go slow. Promise.”

            Sam nodded stiffly at Benny and hopped onto the tube, which was wet from Jo, and settled into his seat. Benny turned on the boat and slowly eased forward. The the rope began to grow longer.

            “Hold on, Sammy!” Dean exclaimed. “Tell us when you’re ready!”

            A couple of seconds later and Jo was screaming, “HIT IT!”

            Benny pushed the notch forward and they were speeding forward through the wake. Jo had a huge smile on her face and Sam was clinging for dear life, fighting through laughter.

            Dean took out his phone and took a couple of pictures to send to mom. She’d be furious if she found out Benny was driving, but for all she knew, Bobby or Crowley or Mr. Bradbury was taking them out.

            Benny was heading for another boat’s medium sized waves, but he was hitting them in a straight, which meant the tube would bounce side to side rather than hit them straight on.

            “OH SHIT!” Dean yelled, chuckling over the loud motor. The tube hit the waves and Jo and Sam were flying backwards through the air and slamming into the water.

            “They’re down!” Charlie and Cas yelled at the same time. Benny slowed the boat way down and Hannah held up the orange flag that signaled 'people in the water'.

            The boat winded around the two figures wading in the lake.

            “How’s the water, Sammy?” Dean questioned with a smirk. Sam bitch faced at Dean, his teeth chattering, and then he and Jo crawled up the boat’s ladder after Benny cut the engine.

            Hannah gave them their towels, and Jo headed to the tip of the boat to warm up in the sun. Sam sat down behind Dean and he slapped his shoulder. “Good ride, champ.”

            Sam somewhat smiled and barely nodded, and then Benny touched his wet shoulder. “Sorry Sam, should have gone a little bit easier on you,” he said in his sweet, southern voice.

            Sam looked at him for a second but didn’t reply. Dean didn’t like the tension so he stood up. “Cas, you and me next?”

            Cas sighed. “I don’t know, Dean. It looks pretty cold out there.”

            “Oh grow some balls and let’s go!”

            “I won’t have any balls if the cold gets to them,” Cas muttered under his breath. Dean chuckled because he absolutely heard that, and then he stepped up onto the platform.

            “You wanna jump into the water first or be a wuss and get on the tube and wait for the wall of water when we fall off?” Dean was smiling and happy and excited and Cas frowned.

            “Oh my God, why did I let you talk me into this,” Cas asked, standing up next to Dean.

            “Hey, let’s stop this lover’s quarrel and get in the damned water, shall we?” Charlie insisted, handing Cas a life jacket.

            Dean rolled his eyes, winked at Cas, and then jumped into the black waters. It hit him like a thousand tiny needles, but after the initial reaction, his body adjusted to the temperature. He shook his hair out when he reached the surface and smiled, all teeth. “C’mon Wimpstiel!”

            “That was really lame, Dean,” Cas replied.

            “I’ll go all _Notebook_ on your ass,” Dean said, wading through the water, ignoring the goosebumps on his arms and legs.

            Cas tilted his head, finding his balance after some waves reached the boat and began rocking it. Dean bobbed up and down in his lifejacket.

            “I’ve never seen it.”

            “Good. GET IN THE WATER! GET IN!” Dean slapped the water and a wall of it splashed up.

            Cas stepped onto the platform above the propeller and then leapt onto the tube.

            Dean rolled his eyes and swam over to it. “You’re no fun.”

            He pulled himself onto the tube and adjusted himself next to Cas, leaning against the extremely frail backrest. He wound his hands through the handles and nudged Cas with his shoulder.

            “Dude, promise, this is so fun. Just hold on as hard as you can.”

            “I trust you, Dean,” Cas said genuinely. Dean shivered.

            “Okay, we’re ready when you guys are.”

            Charlie nodded and Benny slowly drove forward, the rope between them stretching out to full length, and then it began pulling the tube.

            “Ready?!” Charlie yelled.

            Dean held his thumb up and Benny pushed the notch forward. Dean couldn’t help but laugh as the cold wind hit his wet body and goosebumps rose everywhere. He turned to Cas and he, too, was chuckling and gripping the handles for dear life.

            Benny turned right and the tube went out of the wake to the left. That was when hitting the waves dead on made people fall off.

            Dean yelled over the whipping winds, “Cas, you want some wave action?”

            Cas nodded, his teeth flashing white at Dean, and he couldn’t help but feel affection for this guy who was absolutely refreshing compared to anyone he’d ever met and liked.

            Dean let go of one of his handles and motioned Charlie to tell Benny to hit some waves. Charlie, who was wearing Dean’s favorite aviators, turned around and told Benny.

            “Hey, if we’re going off this thing, it’s best to do it together, right?” Dean yelled. Cas’s eyes were dripping with tears made by wind ripping through them, but his smile was still permanent.

            “I think that’s best,” Cas replied loudly.

            Dean let go of his right handle and turned his palm face up. Cas’s eyes averted from Dean’s own green ones to the pruned hand. He looked back up at Dean and he nodded, placing his hand in Dean’s.

            It was warm compared to the chilly water air-drying on Dean’s skin. Cas slipped his fingers through Dean’s and gripped tight. Not for the first time, goosebumps rose on Dean’s skin. These weren’t due to the cold though. This was perfect. Cas and him, having fun with all their friends and being themselves, but also being close.

            Well, closer than normal.

            Damn it. Dean really did want him. He wanted to hold Cas’s hand in a non-adrenaline pumping situation and he wanted to sit next to Cas and be with Cas, and not just at the summer camp they go to every year.

            He wanted to see if Cas wore a sweater at Christmas that matched the Christmas tree. He wanted to know if Cas drenched his meal with gravy during Thanksgiving, and if he fell asleep on the couch afterward, hand on his stomach. He wanted to see his face light up on his birthday and his blush on Valentine’s Day, and if he got drunk on St. Patrick’s Day. He wanted to see him pray on Easter and listen to a stupid _Jesus Christ Superstar_ album that weekend. He wanted to see Cas get scared on Halloween and eat so much candy that he threw up. He wanted to know how Cas spent moments in between holidays and he wanted to know how he spent his days.

            He wanted Cas everyday.

            And damn, he was beginning to sound the damned _Notebook_ movie.

            Maybe the lake water he swallowed was getting to his head. And besides, he’d only been with Cas for a half a month.

            But he’d known him for five years.

            Benny turned, and Dean knew then he was going to make a toilet bowl. It was his favorite- turn around and use the boat's own waves a couple of times until the waves got to be almost as high as the boat itself.

            Cas leaned over. “What is he doing?”

            “Don’t worry, pal. We got this.”

            Benny turned again and headed a bit faster towards his waves. They hit it and it felt like going over a couple of speed bumps back to back, but they stayed on.

            “WOOHOOHOO!” Cas laughed, turning his head to look behind. The waves were larger now that they’d gone over them and Benny tilted the boat to head back over to the wall of water. Dean and Cas went outside of the wake again. Charlie was laughing from the boat and Hannah waved at Cas. Dean tightened his grip.

            “Oh fuck!” Cas exclaimed, looking at what they were headed for. Dean couldn’t help but to hysterically chuckle at Cas’s cussing and face.

            Benny sped up slightly and they hit the first wave, the tube tilting back and both of their legs flying into the air, but they stayed on. The next wave was much larger and the tube repeated itself, but this time, Cas threatened to fall off. Dean pulled him back not a moment too soon. The final large wave hit them at a weird angle and their hands broke apart and they were both flying back into the waters. Dean hit it with his back and water went up his nose, but he made it to the surface.

            Cas was right next to him, laughing up a storm and shaking water from his hair, which now stuck to his forehead and curled upward.

            “See? It’s fun!” Dean said, his nose still hurting as it unclogged itself.

            “That was amazing, Dean! Like flying!”

            Dean watched as the boat slowly maneuvered in a U-turn and came back around to them. Charlie leaned over the side.

            “Cas, way to go! Have fun?”

            “Definitely,” Cas replied, his eyes not leaving Dean’s face.

            “Alright. Hannah’s and my turn! Get your asses outta there!”

+

 

            Everyone else went and switched up people to go with, and Dean even got to drive the boat. Charlie went with Cas and they stayed on the entire time, but Benny couldn’t find any waves and Charlie hated the toilet bowl ones. Jo and Benny went together and held hands and she kept making fun of him when they hit a wave and he fell off and slammed into the water on his belly, turning it red.

            Sam declined to go again; he was still grumpy in the front of the boat, and Hannah retired to join him. They must have been having a delightful conversation, because it lasted the rest of the way and both were interested in whatever it was.

            Dean was just happy Cas sat behind him and talked to him while Benny drove. Dean snapped a picture of them on his phone, and Cas decided at the last minute to stick out his tongue.

            Eventually they had to go in. Benny warned them they were almost out of gas and Cas said that Gabriel would be there any minute anyway.

            Benny drove back to the cabin and parked the boat in the water, Dean and Sam tying it down while the girls threw in the buoys.

            Everyone walked up the small hill to the cabin, their towels flapping at the slight breeze. The cabin was warm; Charlie didn’t forget to turn on the heat for their arrival. Unfortunately for them, Gabriel had arrived ten minutes ago.

            “Fuck, you guys!” Gabriel said, fanning himself with a People magazine that was sitting on the island. “It’s like Satan’s asshole in here! Where’s the A.C.?”

            “Off, for now,” Charlie replied, throwing her towel on the couch. “We all just got back from tubing.”

            “Well, warn a guy next time, sweet cheeks! I coulda come in my birthday suit and we could have had a fantastic sauna time together.”

            “Hello Gabriel,” Castiel said, a small smile on his face.

            “Hiya Cassie. You and Dean-o have a swell time?” Gabriel’s golden eyes hovered over Dean, his playful smile not leaving his face.

            “Yes. Gabriel, we put you in the room behind the kitchen.”

            “Wondiferous,” Gabriel replied, picking up his bag. “I brought alcohol.”

            “Fuck yeah!” Jo exclaimed, fist pumping. Dean grinned.

            “But I’ll only bring it out if someone turns on some goddamned air conditioning!”

            “On it,” Charlie said when Jo pushed her, urging her go because ‘hey, beer’.

+

 

            Everyone went back to camp for dinner since all Charlie had in the cabinets was junk food and other oddities. Gabriel wasn’t cooking, but he told Michael how to make dinner, so he assumed it would be good.

            “Or else I’ll kick Michael’s ass eight ways from Sunday,” Gabriel had warned.

            “Isn’t he bigger and stronger than you?” Jo had replied.

            “Do I look like I give a shit?” Gabriel said, and Jo honestly had no answer to that.

            Dinner ended up being better than they'd thought, and then everyone headed back to Charlie’s with handfuls of food from the canteen. Bobby bid them adieu as they headed out and said he would visit in a couple of days to check up on them so their mama’s wouldn’t be worried. Crowley glared at them, and this time Dean decided to reply in kind. He was such a dick.

            When they got back, everyone sat down in the living room, full of food and conversation.

            “When do we get the beer?” Jo questioned Gabriel, her eyebrow quirking up. Benny gently pulled on her ponytail to get her to fall back into the couch and as a warning to be quiet.

            “Soon. Gotta let it get cool first,” Gabriel replied, not much in the mood for a joke after eating a filling dinner.

            “I’m gonna go take a nap,” Charlie said.

            “I will second that. Good food as always, Gabriel,” Hannah replied, blowing a kiss at the guy. Dean supposed they must have been pretty close if she and Cas were closer.

            “Same,” Benny said. “Jo, you wanna come back and play cards or something?” Benny tried his hardest not to turn red in his cheeks, but Dean smirked as he caught it. This bet was so far on his side, he could almost taste Charlie’s money.

            “Sure,” she answered.

            “Well if everyone else is, I don’t mind if I do,” Gabriel said, yawning and shuffling back to the hallway that led to his room.

            Sam opened up his book, _To Kill a Mockingbird,_ and began reading in silence.

            Dean turned to Cas. They’d been yammering all night about tubing and movies they had seen and how Cas’s sweater was absolutely hideous. It had a bright yellow star on it surrounded by blue and he was also wearing his ridiculous glasses since the lake water upset his contacts.

            Cas found a way to turn it around on Dean and told him that his face needed a shave before he looked like a caveman and how he also needed a new phone case because Captain America was not better than Iron Man.

            In fact, Dean was so caught up in their conversation, he had absolutely no idea what everyone else talked about that night. Sam and Hannah were next to him and Cas and he caught bits and pieces about some Shakespeare poem, but it was too boring to focus his attention to it.

            Dean let his head fall to Cas’s shoulder. “You tired?”

            Dean could feel Cas’s eyes bore into the top of his head. “Not really, no. I’m not sure how tomato soup makes one sleepy. There isn’t any melatonin in it.”

            “I think they’re all wimps.”

            “You’re a wimp, Dean.”

            “Coming from the guy who was too afraid to jump into the water this morning.”

            “Don’t be asinine, Dean. I was being smart.”

            “Touché, because I don’t know what the fuck asinine means.”

            “That’s because you’re asinine,” Cas said.

            “Do I need to Google this shit?”

            “It is not of import. What is important is what we do while everyone naps. I’m not keen on just sitting here.”

            Sam groaned and let his head fall into his open book. “Oh my God! No offense guys, but I’m trying to read here! Can you go somewhere else and flirt?”

            Dean blushed but brushed the comment off. “Sure thing, bossypants. Cas, you wanna go jet skiing?”

            He brought his head up from Cas’s shoulder and stared at him through his big ass glasses.

            “Sure. Do I need to put my trunks back on?”

            “Nah, we’ll make it a leisurely ride.”

            Dean and Cas headed down the hill. Dean was swinging the key in his hand and whistling a Zeppelin song to himself. Cas followed right behind him, in step with Dean. The golden sun was setting in the distance and the loons were clacking from the water while fish jumped for their dinner.

            When they arrived at the dock, Dean untied the rope that held the jet ski and guided himself easily onto the front seat.

            “You coming?”

            Cas was staring at Dean, his bug eyes wide under his lenses and his face in a sweet smile. He nodded and jumped on easily behind Dean.

            “Okay, now the only rule is to lean into the turns, alright?” Dean looked over his shoulder and Cas nodded.

            “Good.” Dean turned the key. “Here we go!”

            They started off fast; Dean now knew Cas liked fast because it felt like flying. He could hear him whooping and chuckling behind him like a madman. His hands were wrapped around Dean’s middle and Cas’s scratchy sweater was flat against Dean’s back. Cas easily leaned when Dean turned and he pointed out ducks and houses and flowery hillsides as Dean flew by each one of them. It was a speedy but leisurely ride, and they upset the water now stained pink by the reflection of the sky. The wind whipped Dean’s shirt and stung his eyes, but he was having a fantastic time.

            As they got to a new section of the lake, Cas rested his chin on Dean’s shoulder. He could feel his scruff against his face and Dean felt sparks at their touch. He could also feel the adorable, hunky plastic of Cas’s glasses poking into his temple. He tightened his grip around Dean’s stomach, and Dean leaned and turned right and Cas followed suit. They worked together.

            The lake was glass now. Practically no one was on it, and the only sight of wind was the air moving over them as they skimmed the lake.

            When they reached a hillside with trees and flowers and no sign of human activity, Dean cut the engine and they just floated in silence for a couple of minutes.

            “Dean, thank you for today. I’ve had the time of my life,” Cas said, his mouth bouncing up and down while his chin stayed on Dean’s shoulder.

            “No I’ve never felt this way before,” Dean whispered, singing.

            “Huh?”

            “And I swear, it’s the truth. And I owe it all to you,” Dean continued, a bit louder.

            “ _Dirty Dancing?_ A Patrick Swayze movie?” Dean could feel the ‘really?’ tone in Cas’s voice.

            “Hey, Swayze always gets a pass!” Dean replied. “Anyway, no problem. It’s been a good day. I mean, you’ve teased me relentlessly and couldn’t get away from me for one second, but that’s fine. I didn’t want to hang out with my friends anyway,” Dean joked.

            “Hey now,” Cas started, “you’re the one teasing me, sweater hater. And if I recall right, you were the one who kept pressing into my shoulder when I would veer into another conversation.”

            Okay, true, but Dean wouldn’t confess that.

            “Whatever you say, pal,” Dean replied. “Hey, does that sweater dry quickly?”

            Cas paused for a minute. “Why?”

            “Just wondering,” Dean replied, turning a little to press a firm hand into Cas’s chest, pushing him off. Cas’s eyes bugged out before he splashed into the glassy water. He came up for air and bitch faced at Dean.

            “Are you serious?”

            “Dead.”

            “You really are a dick,” Cas replied, spitting out water that was dripping from his forehead to his mouth. “I think your precious Led Zeppelin could use a wash, too.” Cas pulled up on the lip of the jet ski and Dean lost his grip and fell in the water, back splatting against it as if it was a belly flop.

            Cas chuckled and attempted to pull himself back on the machine while Dean sputtered and got ahold of himself.

            “I felt we needed to level the playing field,” Cas said, his muscles bulging out against his wet sweater as he pulled himself back onto the jet ski. Dean shook his head to get water out of his hair, and he grinned with teeth.

            “You’re the best, Cas, seriously.” Dean took Cas’s hand and yanked him back in the water and the jet ski bobbed up and down with the waves Cas’s body made. He didn’t go under the water this time, but he still wiped his eyes and then he was looking straight at Dean with droplets of water sticking to his nerdy glasses.

            “Why am I the best?”

            “I can joke, you don’t take it seriously. You can joke, I don’t take it seriously. You have a fantastic personality and your lankiness and nerdiness is just very likeable,” Dean said, honestly.

            “I’d call it hipster,” Cas replied.

            “I’ll let you have that one because you’re trying too hard,” Dean said, gruff voice reverberating off the water.

            Cas’s eyes were bug eyed because of his glasses now, sure, but that didn’t stop Dean from seeing how blue they were. Compared to the water they were in, his eyes were vibrant and alive. He shivered a little, his teeth chattering, and Dean didn’t know if Cas was aware he was doing so, but he was holding onto Dean’s t-shirt with his thumb and forefinger under the water.

            Dean wanted to kiss him so bad. He was staring back at Dean with the same affection. There was that same zing that was between them that made Dean want to connect with him, and Cas was almost smiling. It was there, but barely. And it was kind and loving. Dean wanted to taste that barely-there smile, and he was going to.

            Dean leaned in a bit closer, which was a little difficult as he tread water, but he managed. Dean guessed, but it seemed like Cas had to know what Dean was planning because he shut his eyes halfway. Before Dean could reach that smile, a jet ski came flying by and they were parted and had to tread faster to stay above the waves. Dean looked at Cas’s surprised face before turning to the fuckers who sabotaged Dean’s moment.

            And of course it had to be Charlie and Hannah on their own jet ski. Someday, Dean would get Charlie back for this, but for now he had to shamefully climb back on the jet ski and help Cas back up, cold and shivering and awkward.

            “Hello bitches,” Charlie said as she shut off the engine. “Going for a little dip in the lake before campfire time?”

            “Guess you could say that,” Dean attempted nicely, but it came out gruff. Apparently Charlie didn’t notice, and for that Dean was grateful.

            “Castiel, did you see those wildflowers on that hill back there?” Hannah asked him across the water. Dean couldn’t see Cas, but his voice was in his ear.

            “Yes. Aren’t they beautiful?”

            “Yes! Remember when we would go over there and pick flowers and make angels in them?” Hannah questioned him. Dean really felt the urge to kick Hannah off of her jet ski and drive off.

            “Absolutely. Those are fond memories,” Cas replied.

            _Oh, good for you two,_ Dean thought. _Having fun in the flowers. Isn’t that charming?_

“Remember that one day when we took those flowers to Crowley and his face was-,” Hannah started but Dean raised his voice.

            “Alright, enough of story time. We should get back. Daylight's burning.”

            Dean turned the key and started up the jet ski, fast, and Cas barely had enough time to wrap his arms around Dean. He didn’t say anything though, so Dean drove on speedy and straight back to the cabin.

            He turned it off when they got back and tied it on the dock while Cas took off his sweater to better get himself off the jet ski.

            He stopped in front of Dean, chest glistening with splashes of water mixed with pink and purple sunlight. “Dean, are you alright?”

            Dean almost kissed those chapped lips minutes ago. “Yeah, uh, I really have to use the bathroom. I’ll see you up there.”

            _With a beer in my hand, hopefully._

+

 

            Luckily Gabe was awake and beer was up for grabs and Charlie had started the bonfire down below. Cas was standing by the fire, still shirtless, while his blue shorts clung to him from the water.

            Dean was dripping on the floor. His jeans were heavy and waterlogged and his shoes squelched with every step. Sam was upstairs getting him a change of clothing, and when he came down, Dean changed into them quickly before anyone showed up in the living room.

            Charlie, Hannah and Gabriel were all standing around the fire laughing when Cas came up. Dean took a swig of his _Blue Ribbon_ and grabbed another one for the fire.

            Cas and Dean met up at the door, Cas still dripping wet and smelling like a hint of fire. He was smiling at Dean, and he couldn’t resist replying with his own. It wasn’t Cas that pissed him off…it could never be Cas. It was this situation, and Hannah, and Dean’s embarrassment from before. Obviously Cas knew what Dean was doing, and he still wasn’t sure if Cas was going to kiss him back or push him away. That’s what embarrassed him and made him feel he added awkwardness to their friendship.

            “Uh, beer’s cold if you want one. They’re in the fridge,” Dean said. Cas nodded.

            “I’m not much of a beer drinker,” he replied. “Thank you though.”

            Dean shrugged and headed down to the fire. Sam was finishing up his chapter, and who the hell knows what Benny and Jo were up to.

            Hopefully making sure Charlie owed Dean.

+

 

            Gabriel was ass over teakettle drunk and Benny and Jo, who had joined them two hours ago with the beer in a cooler, were drunk as well. Charlie didn’t drink much; she somehow always ended up puking. Cas had a couple of beers; enough to be tipsy, and Dean was happy to know Cas was a goofy drunk. He especially liked puns, which killed Dean every time he said one. Sam even got in on the fun, though Dean made sure he didn’t drink.

            Somehow Dean was kind of immune to the stuff (okay, high school keggars sort of helped), but he, too, was becoming a little tipsy. Hannah hadn’t had anything to drink because she wasn’t feeling too well.

            Dean was happy for it because Cas was clinging to him in his alcoholic state.

            “I’m just sayin’,” Gabriel hiccupped, “if J.K. had written more Draco in there, I would have read ‘em. That’s all I’m sayin’.”

            Charlie rolled her eyes. “Draco is a cool character, but I think Hermione should have been the narrator.”

            “It’s about Harry, though! Why would it be in Hermione’s point of view?” Sam questioned.

            “Because she’s hot! Just like Hannah here,” Charlie said, tickling Hannah’s chin with her fingers. Hannah blushed and Cas nudged her.

            “How about a real reason, though,” Sam said with a bitch face. “I think it ended the way it should have and it was written in the point of view that was best for the story.”

            “Nerd alert,” Dean mumbled. Sam ignored him.

            “I agree, Sam. Although, let’s be honest, the books had a better portrayal of Harry. And Hermione. I liked movie Ron,” Cas said with his finger wagging all over the place.

            “Oh don’t get me started on the movies,” Charlie warned.

            “Guys, what about _Lord of the Rings,_ though?” Jo said. “Frodo was a whiny ass Hobbit and without Sam, he wouldn’t have gotten anywhere.”

            “Hey! Don’t diss Hodor!” Gabriel exclaimed.

            “Wrong show, brother,” Benny said, placing a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder.

            “God, he’s plastered,” Dean said, laughing at Gabriel.

            Charlie stood up. “Well, the fire’s almost out anyway. I think I’m gonna hit the hay. Hannah, is your beautiful, angelic face going to follow me?”

            “I think that sounds good,” Hannah replied, linking arms with Charlie.

            Benny stood up and wrapped Gabriel’s arm around his neck. “I’ll get the drunk one. Jo, could you get the beer, please?” Benny asked. Jo nodded and they both headed up.

            “Sammy, Cas, you ready to turn in?” Dean questioned them. Cas nodded and Sam stood up.

            “I’ll put out the fire,” Cas said, chuckling to himself. He unzipped his jeans and Dean looked up through furrowed brows.

            “Are you taking a piss?”

            “Yup.”

            Dean turned and started heading up the hill. “Warn a guy!”

            Cas only laughed in response and Dean reminded himself to make Cas drink a tall glass of water.

+

 

            Cas had refused the water and only forcefully brushed his teeth before falling into bed with his shoes on. Dean took them off for him and set them down by his bed. He climbed into his own and turned on the TV. The first thing that popped up was _That 70’s Show,_ one of his favorites, so he settled in and relaxed while the gang attempted to paint a pot leaf on the water tower.

            After two episodes passed, Cas stirred in his bed, groaning. He turned to Dean and opened his eyes a little, Dean staring straight back at him. Cas smacked his lips together.

            “I’m parched as hell,” Cas said, his voice gravelly with sleep and alcohol. Dean smiled and tossed him his water bottle. “Thanks.”

            He drank down the last of it, and Dean rolled his eyes. Cas turned around and let his eyes focus on the TV. He watched a little of it, and Dean’s eyes were now on Cas’s face rather than the show.

            “You got a headache or anything?”

            Cas shook his head, his eyes not leaving the screen. “No. Thank God. I lied to you earlier. I’ve never had beer in my life.”

            Dean chuckled. “I kinda figured that out when you couldn’t open your beer, and then when you made a face at the taste, and how easily you got tipsy.”

            Cas tilted his head and dropped his eyes. “Was I annoying? I seemed annoying.”

            “No, Cas, you weren’t annoying.” Dean pulled his knees up to his chin. “Mostly giggly. And weird. But that’s not much different than your usual.”

            “Ha ha,” Cas said. Dean smirked at him.

            Cas turned back to the show and they watched in silence for about fifteen minutes. This was the episode where Hyde baked special brownies.

            “Do you think that girl is pretty?” Cas pointed at Jackie with his finger.

            Dean shrugged. “Well, yeah, I mean, a lot of guys can’t resist Mila Kunis. She’s hot, but I’m more of a Hyde guy myself.”

            “Which one is he again?”

            “Curly haired dude.”

            “You find him attractive?” Castiel asked. Dean shrugged.

            “Yeah, I mean, he might not necessarily be attractive on the surface level, but he’s badass. He likes rock and roll, sex, weed…he’s hilarious and doesn’t try too hard. He is smart even though he doesn’t act like it and he has a thing against the government, and he always does good and repays people who do things for him.”

            “He’s like you,” Cas pointed out.

            Dean sighed and stared at Hyde. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. Maybe not as good as him, though.”

            “You are good, Dean.”

            “I try to be. I’m not sure if that constitutes as BEING, though.”

            “I know you are.” Dean looked over at Cas and the blue pierced his own eyes. Cas had a truthful look in them. He then turned back to the TV.

            “I think I am partial to the foreign kid.”

            “Fez?”

            “Yes. He’s somewhat of an outcast in their friend group and he likes candy and he’s different.”

            “He’s also adorable and weird like you.”

            “Thanks Dean,” Cas said sarcastically.

            “Anytime buddy.”

            Cas fell asleep shortly after that, and Dean stared at his sleeping, innocent features for a while before drifting off into a deep sleep himself.

           

+

 

            Dean woke up to a snoring Cas whose head was now where his feet should be. He had to rub his eyes to make sure that was what he was seeing, and sure enough it was. The guy had somehow managed to flip around in the night. Dean couldn’t help but chuckle as he stretched and stared at Cas.

            Dean’s phone (which now had him and Cas as the home screen) read 7:30, and he knew for sure no one would be up. No one was a morning person like he was, and definitely not on a week off.

            He slipped on Cas’s Birkenstocks, which were conveniently next to his bed, and quietly slipped downstairs. Sam, who was lying on the couch underneath the ladder, had his book open on his chest while he breathed heavily. Dean smiled. That kid would read till he fell asleep and would not move the entire night. It was pretty miraculous, but then again, Dean was pretty sure he found everything that kid did to be miraculous.

            Knowing his brother wasn’t a light sleeper, Dean slowly inched a frying pan out of a cupboard, barely nicking another one and making a silent ‘ping’ sound. Sam rustled in his sleeping bag, but his eyes were still closed.

            Dean decided he would make breakfast for everyone since he knew for a fact they would all miss it at camp. He was just lucky Bobby lent them two- dozen eggs and some bread and milk. He found some sausage and bacon in the freezer and set them out on a paper towel to thaw while he made scrambled eggs and put bread into the toaster as noiselessly as he could. While looking for bacon and sausage he also found some frozen OJ and decided to make that as well.

            Eventually Sam did wake up. Like Dean thought, he would wake up to the smell of bacon floating in the air. The accidental clang of the pan and stove didn’t help keep him in slumber either.

            “You making breakfast?” Sam questioned groggily, his voice cracking. Dean blamed that on the puberty his kid brother was going through and offered a smile. Sam rubbed his eyes and pulled out a chair on the island.

            “Yup. Figured I should since no one will be up to get some at the camp.” Dean shook his finger through the air after barely touching the hot pan.

            “It smells delicious,” Sam told him, yawning and running a hand through his long hair.

            “Thanks. You get first go at it.” Dean set down a large bowl of scrambled eggs in front of his brother and went back to the sizzling bacon and toast.

            Gabriel came out minutes later. He was only wearing his Christmas boxers and his hair was in disarray. He yawned and sat down next to Sam, resting his chin on his hands.

            “Morning Dean-o. Smells good,” he finally said, opening his eyes a bit more.

            “Thanks. You can’t sleep?”

            “Nah, just used to the time frame of camp. This is me sleeping in,” Gabriel replied, picking a piece of egg up in his fingers and throwing it in his mouth.

            “That fucking sucks, man.” Dean set the toast down on the counter. “Well at least I get to feed you today then. Just don’t judge.”

            Gabriel raised his hands up in defeat. “Hey, I ain’t rude. Cassie is gonna love you. He loves bacon.”

            Dean blushed and turned around to the sausage in the pan.

            Sam butted in. “Gabe, can you hand me a piece of toast please?”

            “Sure thing, kiddo,” Gabriel said, giving Sam a nuggy. Sam bitch faced but Gabriel didn’t care.

            Dean handed a plate to Gabriel so he could start eating and finished up the last of the sausage. He then filled up a gallon jug with water and placed the frozen orange juice in it and shook to melt it.

            “This is actually quite good, Dean-o. Bacon could be a bit crispier, but to each his own.” Gabriel stuffed an entire piece of meat into his mouth. Dean rolled his eyes.

+

 

            Almost everyone was up by 8:30. It was basically sleeping in for them as well, and besides, they couldn’t help but get up when the smell reached their rooms. Dean found it funny as everyone moped out into the kitchen wearing pajamas of all kinds. Charlie looked like she came straight out of a _Star Trek_ movie with her yellow Enterprise PJ shirt and black pants. Benny was wearing fuzzy pants with giant shrimp on them. Jo wore a camo tank top and shorts. Hannah came out a couple of minutes after everyone, but she was just wearing a giant t-shirt and sweatpants.

            So basically, when Dean meant ALMOST everyone was up, he meant everyone but Cas.

            “Fuck me, this is great,” Jo said, munching on a piece of bacon.

            “Agreed. You outdid yourself brother,” Benny added, nodding at Dean.

            “This is really good,” Hannah said. Dean smiled at her and backed up. He was starving, but he wanted everyone else to eat before he did. And Cas was still snoring up a storm upstairs.

            No one was paying attention, so Dean climbed the ladder and sidled over to Cas’s bed. He hadn’t moved from where he was this morning when Dean woke up. Dean shook his head with an adoring smile and bent down.

            “Cas,” Dean said, shaking the limp body. “Cas, wake up. Breakfast is ready.”

            “Mfff,” Cas muttered into his pillow.

            “Wakey wakey,” Dean ordered, shaking him a bit more.

            “I hate you, Dean,” Cas mumbled.

            Dean shook his head. “You love me. I made you bacon and eggs and lots of good food. Now wake up or else I’ll have to drag you out of here.”

            Cas shook his head, or attempted to, since his face was stiff in the pillow.

            “I’ll do it, Cas, I swear to God.”

            “Mff.”

            Dean shuffled to the head of the bed and wrapped his hands around Cas’s ankles. He turned him and started pulling him off.

            “Dean!” Cas practically yelled. Dean laughed and yanked the rest of Cas off the bed and he slowly fell to the floor with a dull thud. Cas turned around, his blue eyes wide and a bitch face slowly appearing on his face.

            “Good morning,” Dean offered, holding his hands out while flashing a grin.

            “Fuck you,” Cas muttered groggily.

            “Awe, how sweet,” Dean answered. Cas rolled his eyes and then looked down.

            “You stole my shoes.”

            “I did,” Dean said matter-of-factly. “And not surprisingly, they are not comfortable. Your feet are oddly shaped, pal.”

            “I hate you,” Cas replied, staring angrily up at Dean.

            “So you’ve said. Now chop-chop. C'mon, let’s fill you up.” Dean deadpanned and added, “with my food. Fill you up with food.”

            Cas must have been too tired to notice Dean’s accidental innuendo. He stood up, stretching his muscles. Dean smiled.

            “You are a grumpy morning person, you know that?”

            “Obviously,” Cas said pointedly. He pushed past Dean and headed over to the ladder.

            “What? No ‘good morning, Dean’ or ‘thanks for breakfast, Dean’ or ‘gosh, Dean, I’m so happy you brought my half-drunken ass to bed last night’?”

            Cas stepped up one more stair so his eyes were floor level. “No.” He continued to go back down and Dean laughed and followed.

+

 

            “Did you two have some rowdy sex up there?” Gabriel asked as soon and Dean and Cas were downstairs. Automatically, Dean choked on his spit and Cas blushed ten shades of red.

            “Yeah,” Jo began, “all we hear is a gruff ‘DEAN!’ and then a loud banging noise.”

            Dean’s go-to when dealing with embarrassing situations had always been to use effective sarcasm. Cas wasn’t doing anything to answer; he stood still in his spot. So Dean was elected to reply.

            He placed a hand on Cas’s shoulder. “You caught us. We obviously wanted to let you all know we were fucking so we were as loud as we could be. Glad it worked. Told you it would be successful, pumpkin.”

            Dean winked at Cas, and if he wasn’t red before, he sure was now. Dean didn’t bother to see the smirks on everyone’s faces. They all knew nothing happened, but he sure did have fun joking with Cas.

            “Cas, get yourself some grub so I can eat! C’mon.” Dean handed him a plate and Cas rounded the island as his splotchy red face slowly faded to white again.

            Charlie handed Cas a piece of toast and sighed. “What are we gonna do today?”

            “Ski, tube, a little bit of poker and a whole lotta beer,” Gabriel answered after chugging down the rest of his orange juice.

            “Sounds good to me,” Charlie replied. “I think we should watch a movie tonight, too.”

            “So long as it’s not _Harry Potter_ ,” Benny said. “Ya’ll wouldn’t finish it because there’d be a big ass debate going on.”

            “Fair enough,” Charlie responded.

+

 

            This is how Dean’s week went. There was skiing, there was jet skiing, tubing, poker, movies, pool, board games and all that kind of shit. But none of that stuck out in his head. The reason was not because he bumped his head or because he was making googly-eyes at Castiel all week. No. It was because he had witnessed a whole bunch of shit that made his stomach curdle and his mouth frown and everything hurt- the whole shebang.

            It started off on Tuesday night. After a nice game of poker (which he won for obvious reasons), everyone huddled on couches and chairs to watch _Back to the Future_ on Charlie’s big ass TV. Dean sat next to Jo on the floor because both of them could basically quote the entire movie and it was kind of their thing. Benny sat in the recliner behind them. Charlie and Hannah took the couch and Sam and Gabriel lay on the floor.

            About halfway into the movie, Dean’s eyes veered over to Cas on the couch. Hannah and him were leaning into each other, Hannah’s head on his shoulder. Cas had wrapped his arm around her. Benny patted Dean on the shoulder, bringing Dean’s attention back to the movie.

            That night, everyone played ‘The Game of Life’ and it became a little intense with everyone debating who had the best life and freaking out when someone sued another and if they had to pay a boat load of money for a stupid injury or summer camp or something.

            Cas freaked out because he lost his job as a hotshot doctor and only a turn later, Hannah got to choose a new profession and obviously got doctor. Cas made a big scene about it and Hannah consoled him jokingly and decided it was necessary to go right ahead and kiss his cheek and then smile at him lovingly. To make matters worse, Cas looked at her with the same expression, and Dean decided his life sucked (literally and figuratively) anyway so he would call it quits. Benny offered him a good night since no one heard him resign, and he headed up to bed.

            The day after that, Hannah and Cas decided to take a jet ski over to the hill where they would make flower angels or whatever the fuck they were yammering on about the other day. They packed a lunch (oh, how fucking adorable) and were gone for a good three hours. Charlie was going off about how sweet it was they could get out while Jo, Gabriel and Sam concentrated hard on their intense game of pick up sticks. Benny sat down next to Dean and they talked about some past memories for a bit. It was a nice way to calm down.

            But it didn’t last long since the two came back, their arms slung around each other with vibrant faces and a half-eaten lunch. Dean excused himself and headed out on a jet ski alone to go to the other side of the lake as far away as he could get from them.

            On Thursday- oh, and at this point, Dean was pretty much staying out of Cas and Hannah’s way- Cas, Hannah and Charlie decided to go into town to shop and to see a movie. Everyone was invited but Jo ‘wasn’t into romance films’ and Benny wanted to stay with Jo. Dean wanted to stay the fuck away from all the sappiness and lovey-dovey shit that he could practically see around the two of them, and Gabe and Sam were going to the other side of the lake to get ice cream sandwiches and to fill up the jet ski tanks.

            All Dean could think about was how they were seeing a romance movie and how typically there wasn’t much watching at those films. Charlie might be a buffer, but who knows? Cas and Hannah were already acting couple-y anyway, so why not make out in front of Charlie?

            By this point in time, he realized he was jealous as fuck. He wanted Cas, he didn’t know if Cas was into guys, and now he was pretty sure he wasn’t. Besides, he was a devout Catholic or something like that and that was a no-no and a one-way ticket to Hell.

            All he could think about was Cas and Hannah and all the stuff they could possibly be doing and he couldn’t sleep at night (partly due to Cas’s snoring) and he didn’t want to do anything that included both of them.

            Cas talked to him still, especially at night. But mostly Dean kept it short and to the point. It wasn’t Cas. It wasn’t Hannah. They weren’t necessarily the issue. It was Dean’s because he couldn’t accept the fact he couldn’t have Cas and Cas could have other people.

            He did, however, steer clear of Hannah and spoke to Cas minimally in case he decided to let off a little steam at the innocent Cas or if he eventually blew up and decided to confess his undying love for the guy.

            Friday, Dean basically didn’t see Cas and Hannah at all. He didn’t even know where they went or what they did or anything. He mostly stayed in their room and watched TV or read his comic book.

            Saturday, Dean came to a revelation at four o’clock in the afternoon that he didn’t like Cas anymore. He could be friends with him and live with Cas and Hannah making kissy faces at each other. He was just fine with it. He’d been friends with Cas before he liked him, and that didn’t change anything. Besides, Cas wasn’t his type anyway. He liked the Chris Evans type. A big strong guy like Benny. In fact, why didn’t he like Benny?

            Well, that was short lived because when he headed downstairs with a proud smile on his face, Cas and Hannah were leaning against each other on the couch again and Cas decided that was the right time to kiss Hannah on the top of the head and chuckle. Then Dean realized those lips were not supposed to be on her head; they were his and were almost his the other day, and the whole crush thing hit him like a ton of bricks and his clear mind was now invaded with more heartbreaking images. He was jealous all over again. He turned to go back upstairs instantly and didn’t head to dinner.

            That night when everyone was at the campfire listening to a story about Gabriel’s escapades into making porn films, Dean was upstairs watching _That 70’s Show,_ trying to pay attention to Hyde. Even Kelso. Ashton Kutcher wasn’t that bad looking either. And Mila Kunis was smoking in the episode he was watching.

            It was then that Benny chose to peek his head through the opening in the floor. He climbed up the rest of the ladder when he saw Dean was in there and headed over to Cas’s bed to lay down on it. They watched the show in silence for a couple of minutes, Benny’s arms and feet crossed as he sat propped up against Cas’s pillow.

            “Dean, brother, you’re kinda pissin’ everyone off,” Benny finally said.

            “Maybe everyone is pissing me off,” Dean replied without taking his eyes from the screen.

            “Yeah, we didn’t do anything to make you feel that way,” Benny said. “Wha’s goin’ on?” He drawled.

            Dean shrugged. “I dunno. Just bored of the same old stuff.”

            Benny shook his head. “Uh uh. I know that ain’t what’s been makin’ you standoffish this week.”

            “Benny, it’s nothing, alright. I’ll deal with it later,” Dean answered, finally looking at his friend.

            “It’s Cas,” Benny said. “I know it is.”

            Dean sighed and didn’t answer. It was his turn to cross his arms.

            “Look, I don’t know why you jus’ don’t tell him.”

            Dean deadpanned. “He keeps flirting with Hannah and visa versa. And who’s to say he likes dudes?”

            Benny shrugged. “You ain’t gonna know till you ask.”

            “Well I’m not asking,” Dean said.

            “Okay fine, but hear me out.” Benny shuffled in the bed to get comfy. “You’re not happy and it’s making us not happy. Cas is wonderin’ why you’re never doin’ anything with us. He keeps pestering us about it, like we know you so well or somethin’. We’re all worried about you, and we want you to join us in stuff.”

            Dean shrugged.

            “Look, I get it. You get annoyed with flirting and stuff, but-,” Dean cut Benny off.

            “No Benny, I don’t get annoyed. I’m jealous, okay! I’m fucking jealous! It’s embarrassing as hell, but that’s what’s going on. I don’t like seeing them together because I wish it was me. I don’t know how it happened or when it happened, but I like Castiel freaking Novak, alright?”

            Benny sucked in a breath and whistled out. “Damn son.”

            “No kidding,” Dean replied angrily.

            “Kay, so now I understand. But you ain’t gonna tell anyone else about your crush, are you?”

            Dean shook his head.

            “That’s what I thought. So you don’t have any excuses not to hang out with us. You gotta put on your brave face and ignore the way Cas and Hannah act, and just focus on the positives. Like Cas’s jokes. Look, they just came into our lives and are new at our group, but the friends you’ve had all your life want you back. We miss you, brother.”

            Dean sighed. Okay, fine, he was being kind of a dick.

            “Okay, I’ll go. But it’s going to take me a while to get used to.”

            Benny swung his feet over the bedside and placed them on the floor. “Why don’t you ask Cas if he and Hannah are dating anyway? None of us really know. It could be nothin’.”

            Dean bitch faced. “Pretty sure they are, Benny. No one acts that way unless they’re super close.”

            “I’m super close with you, but you don’t see me kissin’ your cheek,” Benny joked. Dean smirked.

            “Do you want to? I’d really like that,” Dean answered seductively.

            “Keep your boy kissin’ lips to yourself!” Benny exclaimed and Dean laughed.

            “You’ll be fine,” Benny finally said. “You’re strong.”

            “Thanks Benny.”

            “You’re welcome, brother.”

+

 

            Today was Sunday and they all had to head back to camp. Dean hadn’t spoken a hundred words to Cas over the past couple of days, but he just needed time to figure it out. Cas would furrow his brow when Dean terminated the conversation. Dean would turn around as a final emphasis, but he had to do it for the sake of himself. He still talked to Cas so he knew he continued to be his friend, but Dean really needed to get used to everything and try to whisk away those feelings he had for Cas.

            The kids came at three on Monday and Dean got seventeens (which only soured his mood) and Cas got tens, so they were completely separate. Cas asked to compare schedules, and Dean did because he wanted Cas to feel he was excited about the prospect of them hanging out, but also because he wanted to make sure he wouldn’t have EVERYTHING with Cas because it would only make matters worse.

            Luckily they only had art together. And Dean could focus all his attention on everyone who was only a year younger than himself. Cas was a bit disappointed, but ultimately turned it into a happy situation and told Dean he was excited for art. Dean nodded and smiled and played through the sadness when he stared into Cas’s blue eyes underneath his big ass glasses.

            God, if he hadn’t worn those stupid sweaters and had those big ass glasses, Dean never would be in the situation he was in now.

            He needed time. Cas was going to be with Hannah and Dean still had his own friends and he still had Cas, but he needed to deal with that panging in his heart and the sadness that kept sinking in when Cas was near Hannah.

            He needed time.


	5. Chapter 5

The first day of seventeens was really rough. Yesterday, they refused to do the meeting project, which actually was fine since almost all the guys knew each other and were friends. They, however, did not respect Dean in the least. They barely talked to him and did what they wanted and didn’t seem to engage him in any conversation. Dean was actually thankful when dinner rolled around, and even though he had been avoiding Cas and Hannah, he was kind of grateful to see some friendly faces.

            Dean’s group had absolutely no outcast, and they were all kind big dudes who were into sports and cars and women. He was actually surprised none of them tried to talk to him about sports. Though he was smaller than some of the guys, he did have the build of a football player and if he did say so himself, he was good looking enough to seem like a type of guy who was popular at school. He used to be, anyway. And he loved cars, but even if he brought in his opinion, the guys would either ignore him or nod, annoyed, and turn away.

            To each his own, Dean thought. He could ignore them as well.

            The worst of the guys were Cole and Gordon. Cole was the son of a military man and he was stoic and strict and rude. Dean sort of understood. His father was military, but at least he was lenient and for the most part, kind and understanding. Cole was traditional and he showed it through his talk and actions. Gordon, on the other hand, had a knack for bullying everyone at camp and torturing them with no mercy. Dean saw it and had to yell at him a couple of times in just one day. Gordon would give him a sneer or curse at him, but Dean was his superior and had the right to get him into trouble if he so much as disobeyed him in any way.

            After the introduction campfire the first night, the seventeens all got to hike up a trail after dark. It was one of the privileges of being older and more responsible. However, if Dean was honest, his group was about as mature as a rock.

            Dean wasn’t looking forward to the hike, but he was sort of happy he had one person to talk to, even if she WAS possibly necking Castiel.

            Both of their groups were mingling with each other since at seventeen the hormones were taking over and even being next to a girl gave a dude a boner. They were hiking ahead of Hannah and Dean and being as loud as possible, the guys acting immature so as to catch the attention of some of the ladies in Hannah’s cabin.

            Dean walked next to Hannah, but for the most part stayed quiet and kept his thoughts to himself.

            “So Charlie was telling me she has a girl in her cabin that Sam has started talking to,” Hannah started, breathing hard next to Dean. He turned to look into her bright blue eyes.

            “Really?” He stuck out his bottom lip and looked up. “Do you know her name?”

            Hannah squinted her eyebrows. “I believe her name is Jess, or something like that.”

            “Interesting. Is she cute?”

            Hannah nodded. “Yes. I saw her at dinner. Charlie pointed her out to me and she seems very nice. And smart. She was reading a book.”

            Dean grinned. “Oh, that’s perfect for Sammy.”

            Hannah took a deep breath. “Yeah, Charlie likes her. She says she’s very smart as well. Apparently Benny’s group and hers are going to get together tonight for a little game of capture the flag. It’ll give Jess and Sam some time to get to know each other.”

            Dean raised his eyebrows. “Sammy’s in Benny’s cabin?”

            She nodded. “Yes. Both Charlie and Benny got fifteens this week.”

            Dean stuck his lips out in contemplation and walked on. They finally reached the top and the girls started taking pictures of the scenery with their phones while the guys tried to jump in front of the cameras. They were acting like a bunch of horny douchebags.

            Hannah and Dean sat down while everyone did their thing. Dean wrapped his arms around his legs.

            “Cas told me that you like guys,” Hannah finally said after a couple of minutes of silence.

            Dean nodded. “Yup. Does that freak you out or something?” Okay, so that was a bit abrasive, but it was too late to take it back now.

            “No. In fact, Dean, I’m-,” Cole cut off Hannah.

            “Can we go back down now or what?” His tone was rude by definition, but Dean was too annoyed with the group to give a fuck.

            “Sure thing,” Dean said. The groups began maneuvering around big boulders to the path again, and Dean stood up, holding out a hand for Hannah. It was the least he could do since he was kind of being a dick a minute ago. She took it with a gracious smile and Dean hoisted her up. They walked down the hill in a comfortable silence and parted ways at the bottom since her cabin was near the water and Dean’s was up the hill of Hell.

            His group made it there before him and when he walked into the cabin, all eyes were on him with sneers on their faces. Dean raised an eyebrow at them, but ultimately he strode over to his bed to snatch his pajamas and toiletry bag before heading down to the bathrooms.

            He brushed his teeth and took a quick shower before proceeding back up to the cabin in silence. He’d been in a quiet funk for the past couple of days now, and he realized that he had a lot to think about that was on a spectrum that began at Cas and went to school which went to him asking questions about the end of the world or some shit like that. He was all over the place.

            Dean reentered the cabin and all the guys were in their beds, messing around on their phones or talking.

            “Alright guys,” Gordon began, hopping down from his top bunk. “I’m gonna change. Don’t look, Dean.”

            Dean looked up from his comic book. “Wasn’t planning on it,” he replied in a monotone voice.

            “You sure about that?” Gordon demanded, hands on his hips.

            Dean set his comic book down on his lap. “Um, about one hundred percent sure, pal,” Dean said, frustrated.

            Gordon glared at him and then dug out his pajamas. Dean went back to his comic book and ignored the guys until he went to bed.

+

 

            “Wake up you little faggot!” Gordon’s voice yelled when ice cold water splashed Dean in the face, making him jet up and let out a deep breath. He wiped his eyes and glared up at the face in front of him. Gordon and his buddies were chuckling and Cole threw the bucket onto the floor. Dean’s teeth started chattering.

            “What the fuck was that all about?” Dean looked at his watch. “It’s fucking six in the morning!”

            “Just a little teasing for our queer as fuck counselor. Do the heads of the camp know about your little disease?” Cole questioned Dean. “I’m sure if they knew, they wouldn’t let you be a guy’s counselor here.”

            Dean rolled his eyes and stood up. The guys to his right moved out of his way and Dean grabbed a towel to dry his face off.

            “Actually,” Dean grumbled, “the head of the camp is my Uncle, so uh, yeah, pretty sure he knows.”

            “My father will hear about this,” Cole spat through his teeth.

            “Good for you,” Dean said. He threw his towel back on the bed. “Now if you guys have had enough throwing homophobic slangs at me, I’d like to sleep for another hour.”

            “Not with us in here, you won’t,” said a guy named Mark.

            “Uh, I’m the head of the cabin, so I’ll do whatever the fuck I want to,” Dean told him.

            Gordon fisted Dean’s t-shirt and started yanking him over to the door. Dean pushed on him as hard as he could, but from the angle, Gordon had advantage. The guy pushed him through the door and locked it back up. He laughed evilly in the window and then they all headed back inside.

            “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” Dean said. It was chilly out; the morning dew was settling in and the sun was barely up. He was only in his light t-shirt and flannel pajama pants and there was still an hour until sunrise.

            He could go over to Cas’s, but that would defeat the point of his silence. And besides, Cas wasn’t a morning person. Dean would respect that.

            Anyway, how in the hell did those guys find out about Dean? It must have been Hannah when she asked him that question last night. That was the only way. Oh well, not like it mattered. He’d been through the situation before. He could do it again.

            Dean wrapped his arms around himself and headed down the hill to Benny’s cabin. At least Sam would be there, too.

            He knocked on the door, hoping to God he wouldn’t wake up Benny’s campers. Fifteens weren’t so bad.

            Luckily, Benny was the one who shuffled to the door. He yawned and rubbed his eyes and when he spotted Dean through the door window, he furrowed his brow and opened the door.

            He closed it after himself and motioned Dean over to one of the seats on the porch.

            “Wha’s goin’ on brother?” Benny asked, taking his own seat. “Why’re you all wet?”

            Dean sighed. “Well, my group somehow found out about my liking dudes and suddenly it was homophobic slurs, ice water in my face and me being shoved and locked out of my cabin. I’ve had an eventful morning, Benny, and it ain’t even six thirty.”

            Benny rubbed his eyes with one hand. “Fuck. Not this again.”

            Dean shrugged. “Hey, I’ve dealt with it before. I just need a change of clothes and a place to stay for another hour.”

            Benny shot him a warning look. “Maybe you should tell Bobby about this one. It’s an attack on a counselor.”

            Dean shook his head. “Look, man, I’m fine. I don’t need Bobby interfering and calling my parents and all this shit again, alright? What I do need is a sweatshirt or something because it’s cold as balls out here.”

            Benny nodded, patting Dean on the shoulder. He followed Benny into the cabin. Quietly, Benny handed him a sweatshirt with a restaurant logo on it and some sweatpants. He tossed Dean an extra blanket, and Dean curled in on himself on an empty bed and used his arms as a pillow.

            Though he only had about forty minutes until the bell rang, he used it up by taking a short nap.

+

 

            Benny lent him some slippers and Dean walked with their group to breakfast. Sam sidled up next to Dean and Dean asked him about Jess. Sam blushed but informed him she was a nice girl whom he met during bonding session. She liked reading, too, and she also wanted to go to Stanford for college. Dean started liking her when Sam informed him that she told him he needed a haircut.

            In fact, Sam informed Dean they were sitting together at breakfast, too.

            “Ooh, like a date,” Dean joked and pointed out. Sam blushed.

            “No. Like two friends getting breakfast,” Sam informed him.

            “Whatever you say, Sammy. Sounds like you both are into each other and you were too afraid to ask her on a camp date so she had to do it for you. Nut up, Winchester,” Dean told him.

            Sam rolled his eyes. “Dean, are you okay?”

            Dean sniffed. “Yeah, why?”

            “You’re walking with our group today.”

            “What? Can I not visit with my little brother?”

            Sam bitch faced. “Dean, what’s going on?”

            “Nothing, Sam,” Dean warned. “Look, I can deal with it, okay. Don’t worry about it.”

            Sam glared at Dean but ultimately looked away.

            “How’s Benny?” Dean asked so as to change the subject.

            Sam looked down at his feet. “I don’t like him.”

            Dean stiffened. “Why not?”

            “There’s something about him that I don’t like, Dean,” Sam said, truthfully.

            Dean furrowed his brow. “Like what? Benny’s a nice guy.”

            Sam shrugged, eyes widening. “I don’t know. He’s not very welcoming. He’s different.”

            Dean tried not to get mad. “I’m different. You don’t hate me.”

            “Not in that way, Dean. I don’t know,” Sam offered.

            “Well, try to get to know him. He’s an okay guy, Sam,” Dean said. “Don’t be a dick.”

            Sam held up his hands and Dean left it at that. They entered the cafeteria and got their food, and while Sam rounded some tables to find Jess, Dean set his tray down by Jo.

            His group of seventeens were all joking and laughing in line and making faces at Gabriel’s food and Dean wanted to punch them and humiliate them. He was dreading going to bonding with them after this, and even though he was with a nice but apathetic guy named Gadreel, he just wanted it to be over with.

            Castiel slammed his tray down in front of Dean and Benny sidled up next to him, Hannah just behind them.

            “Dean, Benny told me what happened,” Cas said, sitting down. His jaw was clenching and unclenching and his eyes were hard. Dean sighed.

            Cas made a fist. “I swear to God if they hurt you in any way, I will kill them.”

            Dean rolled his eyes. “Cas, I’m fine. Really. I’ve been through this before. No need to go all serial killer to save my hide, alright? Besides, I can take care of myself.”

            Cas shook his head. Hannah leaned forward from her spot and whispered, “Dean, I am so sorry. It’s probably my fault.”

            Dean held up his hands. “Hey, don’t worry about it.”     

            Hannah still seemed ashamed but she dropped it when Dean stared sharply at her.

            While they ate, Dean kept peeking over at Sam and Jess. Sam was sincerely smiling and conversing with her and Jess kept leaning forward in interest. She threw a piece of food at him, flirtatiously, and Sam rested his chin on his elbow while staring at her with eyes that were full of fondness. Dean was glad Sam found someone to talk to and like. He hoped that would go somewhere.

            “Dean! Earth to Dean!” Charlie exclaimed. Dean averted his eyes to her. “Dude, one of your _friends_ is coming over here.”

            Dean looked and sure enough, Gordon and Cole were veering over towards their table with sneers on their faces. Dean sighed and threw his piece of bacon on his tray, irritated.

            “Hey faggot,” Gordon said, his lip curling into a vile grin. “Is this your boyfriend?”

            Gordon’s eyes dropped to Cas, whose jaw was clenching hard. Dean stared at Gordon, deadpan. “No, Gordon.”

            “Well it looks like he is from your phone screen!” Cole held out Dean’s phone and the home screen was of Dean and Cas on the boat. Dean rolled his eyes.

            “Oh boy, I have a friend and me as my home screen and that makes me madly in love with him. Aren’t you guys real detectives,” Dean said sarcastically. Gordon frowned.

            Dean held out his hand. “You want to give me my phone back now? I’d be delighted.”

            Gordon seemed to think about this, but he sneered again and Dean knew he wasn’t going to see that phone any time soon. “I don’t think so,” he said.

            “Figures,” Dean replied, retracting his hand. “Run along and quit bothering me and my friends or I’ll have to kiss you.”

            Cole frowned and Gordon sneered and they both skittered off.

            Dean groaned and ran a hand down his scratchy cheek. “Fuck me.”

            “You okay, Dean?” Jo asked.

            “I’m fine. Just annoyed as hell.”

            Cas started straight at Dean. “Dean, I swear if they hurt you-.”

            “They won’t, Cas. Drop it.”

            Cas did, and Dean ate in silence, dreading the next two hours ahead.

+

 

            Bonding turned out as expected. Dean wanted to fall on the wire that was connected to three trees and have it cut him in half. His group decided to ignore him the entire time, which Dean was totally okay with, but when it came his turn to do something, he was met with immature coughs of ‘queer’ and ‘faggot’ and ‘gay’. Oh, and there was also his personal favorite. 'Fruit'. He was quite impressed with that one.

            Luckily, Gadreel decided to call it after an hour. He said he wasn’t feeling well, but Dean was sure it was because he wanted to help him get away from his group for a little while before having to be with them for their next activity. He thanked Gadreel and the guy saluted him before they headed off to the cabin. Dean was obviously not allowed in his own cabin, so he veered to the docks instead.

            Unfortunately for him, Crowley was down there by himself with a large book in his hands. Dean turned on his heel to find somewhere else to go, but Crowley caught him.

            “Squirrel, come here for a moment,” Crowley said with his English accent. Dean hated that nickname, but ever since he’d run away from a squirrel when he was younger while in the presence of Bobby and Crowley, it had become his name. Sam was moose because Crowley thought he looked like one.

            Dean trudged over to Crowley, still in Benny’s slippers and sweatpants and sweatshirt. It was actually starting to get hot outside and Dean would have to change.

            “Yeah?” Dean asked, annoyed.

            “Now that’s not a very respectful way to speak to your elders,” Crowley informed him. Dean sighed.

            “Yes sir?” Dean questioned.

            Crowley rolled his beady eyes, but didn’t look up from his book.

            “Have you been settling in this week?”

            Dean shrugged. “Sure, I guess.”

            “I’ve heard rumors you’re having issues with your group.” Crowley looked up at him then. God, talking to this fucker was like being in hell, and this dude was the king.

            “Not really, sir,” Dean informed him. God, Dean wasn’t sure how Crowley found out about everything, but he always seemed to. He must have his demons all over the camp or something.

            Crowley raised an eyebrow and smiled menacingly. “Really? No harassment or anything?”

            Dean shook his head. “Nope.”

            Crowley then raised both of his eyebrows and turned back to his book. “Alright then. Let me know if you have any problems and I’ll take care of it right away.”

            “Okay,” Dean answered.  _Take care of it right away, his ass. He'd probably encourage it._ He turned on his heel then and traveled back up to the basketball courts. He’d just hang out in the art barn until his session started.

+

 

            Thank God Cas was in his next session because Dean would’ve died. His group wasn’t doing the art project assigned and half of them were picking on Cas’s tens. Dean had to keep yelling at them while trying to avoid cussing and Cas had to go to those that had been picked on to try to make them feel better. Dean just wanted to pour chemicals on these guys and chop off their heads and throw them in a river so no one could find them. They were assholes and no matter how hard Dean tried, they would not listen to him. It was goddamned amateur hour and Cas’s ten year olds were more mature than all of them.

            “Dean, I’m so sorry you have to deal with these guys all week. They’re dicks,” Cas said when both of them were inside standing next to each other to watch their kids. Both of their groups were outside the barn on picnic tables while painting.

            “Me too, man,” Dean replied. He turned to Cas. “How’ve you been?”

            Cas shrugged. “I could be better. I’ve been sort of lonely.”

            Dean raised an eyebrow. Okay, so part of that was his fault, but if Cas was lonely that meant it was happening because of everyone.

            “Really?”

            Cas shrugged. “Yeah, a little. Hannah and Charlie have been hanging out a lot and I don’t know where you’ve been.”

            Dean cleared his throat. Here was when he put to use his very effective lying. “I haven’t been feeling well. I’m trying to take care of it.”

            Cas placed a gentle hand on Dean’s left shoulder. “I’m sorry, Dean. I bet having those guys doesn’t help at all.”

            Dean shook his head. “Not in the least bit. But hey, you can’t win everything.”

            Cas handed Dean a folded up piece of paper. Dean furrowed his brow, but Cas just gave him a look that told him to go on. Dean opened it and there was a perfect drawing of Dean’s face, shaded to perfection with the right angles of the nose and mouth.

            “Jesus, Cas, did you do this?”

            Cas blushed a little and nodded. “Yeah, I enjoy art.”

            “Me too, but shit, this makes me look like a freaking amateur.”

            Cas shrugged. “I don’t know. Art is different. You enjoy woodworking and I enjoy sketching. It’s still art.”

            Dean smirked. “You remember me liking woodworking.”

            Cas smiled. “Of course, Dean. You were always in here whenever you could be to make something. I’m surprised you haven’t come in here much this summer.”

            Dean shrugged. “I’ve had other things to attend to.” Yeah, ogling at Cas.

            “Oh. Well you should get back at it. From what I remember, you were very good with your hands.”           

            Cas blushed and Dean caught it and chuckled. “Thanks Cas. For the picture.”

            He nodded and then a ten year old began crying so both of them had to head out and hold back a douchebag and console a little boy.

           

+

 

            Luckily for Dean, break was next, then dinner and finally campfire. During his break, he headed up to the vacant cabin to exchange Benny’s baggy attire for a Pink Floyd t-shirt and ripped jeans and his converse shoes. He went through his stuff to make sure nothing was tampered with, and thankfully there wasn’t. His phone was gone, and surprisingly he was being pretty chill about that. His Deadpool comic was waterlogged too, but Dean put it in the sun to dry out.

            Dean kind of wanted to go around and put pinecones and shit and whatever else he could find in everyone’s sleeping bags, but he reminded himself not to stoop to their level of naiveté.

            On his way back down the hill, he saw Sam and Jess holding hands while they walked over to the ping-pong tables by the canteen. He hid behind a tree while they passed, so as to not embarrass Sammy. He was so proud of his brother to talk to a pretty and seemingly kind girl. He was also happy his brother could be himself around her. So far, Dean hadn’t seen him try too hard or anything.

            After they were far enough gone, Dean headed over to the dining hall. They still had an hour left, but he figured he could bug Gabriel or something.

            And Gabriel didn’t seem to mind being bugged. He allowed Dean to come to the back of the kitchen and he gave him a red velvet cupcake to munch on while he sat and watched Gabe cook up some hamburgers.

            “So basically, they’re all homophobic douche wads that need a bit of a kick up the ass,” Gabriel said after Dean explained his day to him. He was still concentrating hard on the meat while the guys in the back worked on the extra food.

            “Pretty much,” Dean replied, throwing his wrapper into the garbage.

            “Should I poison their dinners? I could go to jail or get sued for that, but it might be worth it. I hear prison is pretty interesting,” Gabriel said.

            “Nah,” Dean replied. “I feel like you wouldn’t survive. You’ve got that attitude that a lot of guys wouldn’t like.”

            “That is very true,” Gabriel said after contemplating with a hand on his chin.

            “Yeah,” Dean said, taking a pickle from the jar next to him, “they even harassed Cas’s group today. They’re fucking ten years old, man!”

            Gabriel raised his eyebrows. “Straight off the nipple,” he said. Dean’s face scrunched up.

            “Dude, that’s gross.”

            Gabriel ignored him. “Did Cassy take care of it?”

            Dean nodded. “Yeah, he’s great with kids. He calmed them down a lot while I took care of my idiot group.”

            Gabriel smirked at Dean and flipped a burger. “Good for him. Anyway, it’s time for dinner if you wanna head out now. You can get first dibs on everything.”

            Dean hopped off of his stool and grinned. “Don’t mind if I do.”

+

 

            Dean savored his dinner. He hadn’t had a good burger like that in years and the homemade fries were equally as delicious. Charlie told everyone about her day during dinner and everyone listened in, their own days boring compared to Charlie accidentally flashing Crowley and having one of her kids piss her pants on the high ropes today.

            After dinner, they all went to the campfire and Dean opted to sit by Benny, who was as far away from his group as could be. Bobby passed out papers about some new rules being put in and when they handed the papers back, Dean specifically got one that said, ‘Fuck that’ on a no harassment policy and on the back said ‘queer’.

            “They are very intelligent. God, this is incredulous. An ironic no harassment policy with harassment on it.”

            Dean showed Benny and he frowned. “Dean, this is getting out of hand.”

            Dean shrugged. “Not really. Their petty jokes are ridiculous at best.”

            Benny was about to say something, but Bobby cut in to talk about some other stuff going on that Dean didn’t pay attention to.

+

 

            So yeah, okay, Dean should have saw this coming. His friends were all worked up about his group and told him he should talk to Bobby. To be honest, Dean wasn’t worried at all. He was mostly aggravated and fed up with the stupid antics and words they were saying.

            He should have known the bullies would have gone from emotional bullying to physical. It happened at his school, so why wouldn’t it here?

            He let his guard down apparently because Bobby was now stitching him up from what he could feel. He was still in too much pain to open his eyes.

            It happened after campfire when he went to take a shower. The guys had let him into the cabin, thankfully, and Dean got a change of clothes and his toiletry bag and headed down to the bathrooms to do his business.

            After brushing his teeth and putting on a new pair of pajamas, he started up the killer hill, dreading what the guys would say or do next. He didn’t expect it to go as far as it did.

            When he reached the top, he was suddenly hit hard, and a large ‘puff’ of air came out of his mouth as he hit the side of his cabin. It was Gordon and Cole, and Dean knew instantly this wasn’t going to be a joking spree or a talk; he was going to get beat up. Cole’s mouth was in a straight line, his eyes set on hurting Dean. Gordon was just crazy as fuck, his eyes psychotic and grin just as much.

            “Hiya fellas,” Dean said, trying to keep his charm, “can’t keep your hands off me, I see.”

            Yeah, that wasn’t the brightest thing to say to two homophobic guys with the ability to pack the punches like no other.

            The first hit to Dean’s gut was a shock, but Dean had enough energy to throw one back at Gordon, hitting him square in the jaw. Gordon doubled over and Cole took his spot. He gripped Dean’s arm tightly with one hand and threw a punch at Dean’s nose with the other.

            “Fuck!” Dean exclaimed, leaning down. That one hurt like a motherfucker. He stood up, his nose pounding with pain, and gripped Cole’s shoulders tight to bring his knee up so as to do some damage to his balls. Cole yelled and backed up while Gordon recovered from his previous injury and swung a left hook at Dean’s face. While Dean wasn’t looking, Gordan pulled his arms back between his elbows, which left his torso wide open to Cole, who apparently really like to kick.

            Dean doubled over again while Cole brought a heavy punch from underneath straight to the eye.

            Normally, Dean was pretty good at fighting. He got used to it and his father taught him some tricks, but tonight wasn’t his night apparently. And Cole was hard to match. He was a decent fighter and he was very strategic and militaristic.

            Dean was on the ground, taking some kicks from guys a year younger than him when he heard a, “Get the fuck away from him.”

            Gordon and Cole turned to the voice. Dean couldn’t look. Blood was pooling in his right eye and he was so tired and in pain he physically couldn’t see. He knew it was Cas though, no doubt about it. He wanted to tell him to run and get out of here. The guys could beat the scrawny little dude in an instant. Dean didn’t want Cas to be bullied. He wouldn’t wish that upon him again. He wanted Cas to be safe. Besides, this wasn’t his fight anyway.

            “Yeah, what’re you gonna do about it?” Gordon asked Cas.

            Dean could hear Cas step closer to the guys and he muttered a wet, ‘Cas’ but it was too quiet. His ears were ringing.

            “I don’t know. I believe in the whole fighting fire with fire thing, so maybe I’ll just beat you up the way you hurt my friend here,” Cas replied. He was close now.

            “We can beat you up, pussy. We’re stronger and there’s two of us,” Cole said, stoic.

            “Maybe, but tonight you’re my little bitch.”

            Dean heard Cole hit the cabin with a loud ‘thud’ and Cas threw a punch at Gordon. He spit out some blood and Dean opened his eyes a little to watch. Cas had his hands up in front of his stupid blue sweater with a Norwegian design across the chest. Cole was next to Dean, passed out. Cas brought a new meaning to ‘two hits’.

            Gordon was still up, but he was tired. He swung a fist at Cas, and Cas took it in his hand, twisted it until he heard two snaps and a bloodcurdling scream from Gordon, and then he pressed an elbow into the guys back and Gordon dropped to his knees. Cas pushed him over as he cried in pain and he opened his cellphone.

            Dean passed out then, pain invading his pounding head and torso and face.

+

 

            And that brought Dean back to Bobby's. He was surrounded by familiar faces in a familiar cabin. His head felt like there were little men inside banging on his brain, and his stomach hurt even if he barely inched. Bobby was closest to him with a stern look on his face and a used needle from stitching Dean's tiny forehead cut.

            “Boy, you’re in a whole lotta trouble,” Bobby said, his drawl making Dean’s head pang more.

            Dean groaned. “Cut me some slack, Bobby, my head is ringing and I’m pretty sure my ribs are broken.”

            Bobby rolled his eyes. “You ain’t broken. Take these.” He handed Dean some ibuprofen and took a seat in a rickety chair next to the table Dean was lying on.

            A hand touched Dean’s shoulder and he turned his head to look at Cas. Right, Cas pretty much beat the shit out of the other guys with some badassery.

            “I guess I shouldn’t ask how you’re feeling, but at least you’re awake. I was afraid you might have been concussed.” Cas had a worried look on his face, lines forming on his forehead.

            “I don’t think so,” Dean said. “It just hurts like a motherfucker.”

            Cas huffed out an exasperated laugh.

            “Jesus Cas,” Dean said. “Where the hell did you learn to fight like that?”

            Cas blushed and dropped his gaze. “When you have bullies in high school, you kind of have to learn self defense if the teachers won’t do anything about it.”

            Dean’s smile faded and he shook his head, slightly though. “Fuck. Dude, I’m sorry.”

            “Hey, it’s not your fault, Dean,” Cas informed him, placing a gentle hand on Dean’s left shoulder. “Besides, I pretty much became the person no one messed with after I beat up the biggest jock in our high school. It came in handy.”

            Dean smirked and playfully punched Cas’s shoulder, pain shooting up his arm.

            “Alright, now we have some business to attend to,” Bobby interrupted. “First, we need to get someone to Dean’s cabin pronto. Seventeen years old or not, they still need a counselor.”

            “Gabriel is there now. Perhaps he can watch them and Michael can take kitchen duties for a week,” Cas offered.

            “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Dean said, sitting up and wincing. “No one is taking my place, alright? That’s my responsibility.”

            Bobby furrowed his eyebrows. “You damn fool! You ain’t goin’ back there. Not after what those guys did to you. I’ll still pay you, if that’s what yer worried about.”

            Dean shook his head. “No, Bobby, it’s just... that’s my job, not Gabriel’s.”

            Bobby turned to Cas. “Tell your brother that he’s gonna be takin’ Dean’s cabin this week. Why don’t you mosey on down and get Dean’s things for him, Cas.”

            Cas nodded. “Sure.” He squeezed Dean’s shoulder once and then left out the front screen door.

            Dean watched him leave and Bobby turned to him. “That boy saved your life, y’know that? He told me they weren’t going to stop.”

            Dean rolled his eyes. “I don’t know about that.”

            “Stop defending them, Dean. They hurt you and you have a right to be pissed!” Bobby exclaimed.

            “It’s not that, Bobby. I don’t need to be pissed, really. I mean, I’m mostly just annoyed.”

            Bobby sighed and stood up. “Whatever. You owe that kid a thank you, ya hear?”

            Dean nodded. “Yes sir.”

            “Good. Now walk your fragile ass into the kitchen and get some ice for your aches and bruises.”

            Dean chuckled.

+

 

            Cas arrived shortly with Dean’s stuff in hand. He dropped them off at the door and graciously accepted a cup of tea from Bobby. Dean was on an island chair with an ice pack on his side and on his head. He was turning purple from top to bottom and he felt like shit, but he was secretly grateful he didn’t have to watch those ingrates for the rest of the week.

            “Who’s watching your cabin?” Dean questioned Cas after an enlightening conversation about Cas’s day.

            “Well,” Cas said, finishing up his tea, “they’re all asleep, but I had Benny come watch them, and he left Sam in charge of his own cabin.”

            “Wow, left that pipsqueak in charge, huh?”

            Cas shrugged. “I think it’s probably good, anyway. Your brother doesn’t seem to like him. Perhaps with Benny trusting him, Sam will feel a bit better about him.”

            Dean furrowed his brow. “How did you know that?”

            Cas bitch faced. “I’m a wallflower, Dean. It was pretty obvious.”

            Dean bit his lip. “I don’t understand it. Benny is a nice guy.”

            “We can’t understand everything. Sam’s perception of Benny is different than ours. It’s kind of like how you don’t like Hannah.”

            Dean choked on his coffee and Cas sat in his seat, passive. “What?”

            “You don’t like-.”

            “Alright, alright,” Bobby said, diffusing the tension there. He held up his hands. “Enough of that, you two. I’m going to bed before this becomes another full on fight.”

            “I could never hurt Dean,” Cas replied in all seriousness.

            Bobby rolled his eyes. “You take things way too seriously, son. Goodnight.”

            “Night Bobby,” Dean saluted.

            “Goodnight sir.”

            “It’s Bobby, Cas,” he said. Cas nodded and Bobby retired to the back of the cabin.

            Dean cleared his throat after a minute of silence. They were both done with their drinks and they were sitting next to each other awkwardly.

            “So uh,” Dean shifted the bag of ice on his side, “thanks for, y’know, saving me and whatnot.”

            Cas smirked. “That was a heartfelt ‘thank you’, Dean.”

            “Whatever. I’m not much of a heartwarming dude,” he answered.

            “So I’ve noticed,” Cas replied. “That’s okay. Dean, you should have told someone.”

            “I could have handled it,” Dean said, gruffly.

            Cas bitch faced. “Coming from the guy who was lying down being kicked by two homophobic assholes. Yeah, you handled it pretty well, Dean.”

            “Normally I’m pretty good at fighting, by the way,” Dean said, trying to lighten the mood. “You caught me on an off day.”

            Cas raised his eyebrows. “Ah, is that what that was? Look Dean, pride becomes you, but if that happens again, promise me you’ll tell someone.”

            Dean shot him a ‘seriously?’ look, but Cas leaned forward, eyes staring hard at him.

            “Ugh, fine then,” Dean promised. “You annoy me.”

            Cas smiled and turned back to his empty mug. There was a comfortable silence, and Dean adjusted his ice bags while Cas fiddled around with his mug. Bobby was already snoring away in the back room, and Dean just thanked God his room was the farthest away from the old man’s.

            “My parents are both conservative assholes who have me on a short leash.”

            Dean turned to Cas, green eyes wide. Cas’s blue ones met his; they were serious.

            “Basically I was raised in a strict Catholic household with my adopted brother Uriel, Gabriel and my sister Anna. From birth, we were told to get straight A’s and to become doctors or dentists or…well, just people who are regarded highly of. We were to attend church every week and do our church studies as well. Everything was traditional in our family, and if my parents didn’t like my friends, I had to get rid of them. I had to wear certain clothing and could only go out if my parents okayed it.”

            Dean was shocked.

            “I sort of blame them for my bullying, but that’s over with, anyway. Uriel did as my parents wanted. He got perfect grades, went to church, got a full ride scholarship to Yale, and he is now a doctor volunteering in some other country or something. I don’t know. I don’t really talk to him much anymore.”

            Cas cleared his throat and Dean adjusted his ice.

            “Gabriel rebelled when he was sixteen. He basically said, ‘fuck you’ to our parents and walked out the front door. He had some friends here in Kansas and set up shop. He owns a bakery a couple of hours from here. He’s an atheist and he didn’t go to college, and my parents don’t keep in touch with him. Well, I’m pretty sure my mom does, but I can’t say for sure.

            “And then there’s Anna. She’s a year older than me, and she went to college to become a psychologist. My parent’s are on board with that and she still has straight A’s. The only rebelling she really does is skip church on Sundays. My parents don’t know that, however.

            “Now it’s my turn to go to college. Somehow I can’t seem to get away from their voices nagging me to become a doctor. On Sundays, I hear them waking me up telling me to go to church or else I’ll go to Hell. I can’t get bad grades because they’re in my ear saying that if I don’t get phenomenal grades, I won’t get into a good college, and all the traditional stuff they uphold sticks in my brain. It’s like I can’t escape them. All these years, I thought coming up here would help, but it doesn’t."

            Dean shifted in his seat. “You told me you want to be a teacher.”

            “I do,” Cas replied, smiling, “but my parents don’t want me to be. And what they say goes.”

            “You can do what you want, Cas. It’s your life. If you’re gonna be miserable looking in people’s ears and diagnosing issues all day, you shouldn’t spend a fuckton of money or time on the program.”

            Cas sighed. “I understand. I really don’t want to be. But Gabe is the rebel of the family, not me. I don’t know if I can be. I’m afraid of what will happen.”

            Dean looked down at his hands that were resting on the countertop. “Free will. Absolution. A life. I dunno, Cas, everything they’ve done for you was in their best interests and not your own. You like coming up here and hanging out with people and doing things you normally wouldn’t do at home, right?”

            Cas nodded.

            “I say you say fuck it and do what you want. You’re eighteen, you’re young. Take everything you’ve learned from them and chuck it in the fuck it bucket and move on with your life. You still want to go to church? Fine. Do it on your own terms. You still want to vote on the traditional right wing, go for it.”

            “Actually I’m a democrat.”

            “Oh, you rebel,” Dean said with a smirk.

            Cas blushed.

            “Dude, what I’m saying is: do things because you want to do them and not because your parents want you to do them. Have you seen _The Breakfast Club?”_

            Cas shook his head.

            “Well on your break, come up to my personal Hell for the week and we’ll watch it. That is, if Bobby isn’t already watching something on his TV. He likes these really weird, girly shows.”

            Cas chuckled and Dean placed a hand on his thigh and squeezed. “You feel better? Did I get to you in any way?”

            Cas nodded. “You’re kind of bad for me. You don’t want to be the reason for my going awry.”

            Dean shrugged. “Eh, screw it. If I am, I’ll at least know you’re doing things for you.”

            Cas nodded. “Thanks Dean. I don’t know if I’m ready to fall yet.”

            “Fall?”

            “From the good graces of my parents.”

            Dean sighed. “Trust me, dude, you are. Just let it go.”

            “Become the rebel I am meant to be.”

            “Exactly.”

            Cas hopped off of his stool and set his mug in the sink. “I’m going to go to bed, Dean. Good night.”

            “Night, Cas. Thank you for saving me.”

            “And you for saving me.”

            Cas nodded and smiled at him before closing the screen door and leaving the cabin. Dean fiddled with his own mug and wondered if maybe he shouldn’t have asked that question during their poker game. It seemed a bit too personal, but he sure was happy Cas got it off his chest. Hopefully Dean’s input helped persuade Cas into doing his own thing. Because Cas really would not look good in scrubs.

+

 

            “Dean, my baby!”

            Mary practically broke the screen door bursting into the room. It was now Wednesday, and because of the accident, Bobby was obligated to call Dean’s parents. No matter how much he pleaded the old coot not to, he did anyway. Dean was put on the phone and John asked him why he lost the fight and Mary made plans to quickly head up and visit, much to Dean’s dismay.

            Tuesday had gone swimmingly. Cas and Gabriel came to check on Dean during their breaks. Cas was having fun with his group; they all loved him. The assholes that Gabe decided to take over for were now being disciplined and pranked to no end. This actually made Dean feel better. From what he remembered over the years, Gabe was harsh when it came to pranks.

            Charlie called him yesterday (Dean still didn’t have his cell) wondering what was going on and informed him that she and Hannah were down at the lake if he wanted to go swimming. Dean politely declined. Besides, he was almost done with his second comic book he’d brought and the third was waiting patiently.

            Benny had come to visit as well. They played a game of cribbage over lunch that Bobby made before heading out to do camp activities or something.

            Today, though, was John and Mary’s visitation, which meant Sam would be coming up as well.

            Dean groaned and closed his comic, setting it on Bobby’s coffee table.

            “Hi mom,” Dean replied in an almost bored tone.

            Mary shot him a scolding look and pulled him into a hug. Dean hugged her back. Even though he was embarrassed his parents had to ride up to his freedom camp, he was still pretty excited to see his mom. Especially because John was holding a pie in his hands, which meant she cooked for him.

            Mary sucked in a breath as she ran her hand gently over Dean’s cuts and bruises on his face. Dean winced at the one on his eyebrow, but for the most part, they were healing up fairly well.

            “You and your father are too proud,” she stated, pulling away from him. She took the pie and headed to the kitchen. John stepped forward, hands in his jean pockets.

            “How ya doin’, Dean?” John was never one for much sentiment.

            “Other than the embarrassment of getting my ass kicked, I’m doing good. Bobby’s food is much better than Michael’s shit down there. The only thing that sucks is having to eat dinner with Crowley’s beady little eyes on me all night. Pretty sure that guy is an axe murderer slash pedophile slash demon or something,” Dean pointed out. John rolled his eyes.

            “Your imagination is wild, son,” John replied. “We’ll work on your fighting skills when you get home before you go to college.”

            Dean nodded and Mary cleared her throat. John and Dean turned their heads to her.

            “Uh, no he isn’t!”

            “Okay, let him get beat up again, then,” John offered. Dean groaned and sat back on the couch.

            “I see you're fighting today,” he said. “What ignited it this time? Did dad leave the toilet seat up?”

            Mary set her jaw and didn’t answer. She went back to her cooking. Dean looked to his dad for confirmation.

            “I told her I’d teach you how to use my gun and fight. I know you know how to hold your own, but there’s techniques that wouldn’t be bad to learn,” John said, lowering his voice so Mary couldn’t hear. Dean grinned.

            “That’d be awesome,” he replied. John smiled warmly and sat down in a chair across from his son. “How’s Sammy doing?”

            Dean smirked. “He’s got himself a girly friend,” Dean said. John raised an eyebrow and Mary came back into the conversation.

            “Really?” Mary questioned.

            “Yup. Her name is Jess. She seems really nice and is basically the girl half of Sam. Reads, jokes, likes the same activities, has long ass hair.”

            Mary tilted her head, an adoring smile on her face. John nodded in interest.

            “I’ve only seen them together at lunch, though. She just showed up this week, and obviously I haven’t been there to see anything. Charlie and Benny keep me updated. Especially Benny, cuz Sam is in his cabin.”

            “Oh really!” Mary exclaimed. “That’s so fun!”

            Dean shrugged. “For whatever reason, Sam isn’t too fond of Benny.”

            John raised his eyebrows. “He does seem a little gruff, but I like the kid. He’s polite and nice enough.”

            “Right,” Dean said, “but Sam doesn’t see that. To each his own, I guess. I don’t like some of Sam’s nerdy school friends.”

            Mary stood up and clapped her hands together. “Alright. Dean, how about some peach pie?”

            “Mom! You DO love me!” Dean exclaimed, on his feet in two seconds. “Let’s eat!”

+

 

            Dean wasn’t really prepared for dinner. Not only was he in his worn, ugly sweatpants and baggy high school football sweatshirt, he was graced with the presence of Cas. John thought it would be a good idea to meet the guy who helped his son out, and no one informed Dean they’d invited the guy to a nice sit down dinner with Bobby and the family.

            He headed out of his room after finishing his comic. There was fifteen minutes until dinner started, and he figured he could help set the table or something. When he entered the living room, Cas was smiling up at him from the couch. He was dressed in a vibrant red sweater that had an ugly brown canoe on it and some khakis. His hair was parted and combed, rather than the basic sex hair he’d done nothing to every day.

            Sam was there, too, talking to Jess, who was ALSO apparently invited. They were conversing with John about an old movie all three of them had seen, and John was smiling at Jess, intrigued with her. Mary was in the kitchen helping Bobby with the rest of dinner, and thank God the demon from Hell was not invited tonight.

            “Hello Dean.” Cas nodded to him, and Dean felt uncomfortable in his stinky lounge clothes and hair in disarray.

            He smiled shyly. “Hiya Cas. How goes it?”

            “Doing well,” he replied, standing up. “Sorry I didn’t inform you I was coming. I only found out I was invited an hour ago.”

            Dean scratched his scruff. “No worries,” he lied. “Did you meet the crazies?”

            Cas nodded. “They seem very nice. Your mother is lovely.”

            Dean shifted his eyes to her. “Yeah, she’s great.”

            Mary’s green eyes that were identical to Dean’s rested on his. She smiled softly and quickly moved them to Cas and back to Dean. Dean squinted his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes.

            “Dinner’s ready!” Mary sing-songed.

            Dean placed a hand on Cas’s shoulder and led him to the table. They took a seat next to each other and passed around the food, loading their plates up with roast, potatoes, fruit salad and rolls. Luckily, Dean had a piece of the peach pie an hour ago, so he was already hungry again.

            “These make me very happy,” Cas said with his mouth full of homemade roll. Mary chuckled and Bobby nodded.

            “Thanks,” Bobby said. “Fill up. Your brother not being in the kitchen kinda sucks.”

            Cas nodded. “Yes, it does. Today, Michael made some sort of casserole that looked like month old cheese. I’m not sure it was even edible, whatever it was.”

            Bobby nodded, his eyes raised in understanding. Mary cleared her throat.

            “Now Cas, how did you and Dean meet?”

            Dean choked on his fruit, but Cas was as composed as could be. Mary sounded like she was freaking interrogating a boyfriend or something.

            He swallowed a piece of his roll and smiled. “Well, we met a long time ago at camp. Your son bullied me because I wore and still wear sweaters such as the one I am gracing you with now.” Cas gestured towards his chest. Dean opened his eyes wide in shock. The dude was on a roll. “He was always nice, though. Apparently this year, he finally got the guts to say hello.”

            Mary nodded sweetly and John looked over at Dean, smirking. He could feel his face heat up.

            “Cas has a cabin next to me,” Dean said. God, that was a pointless sentence. There was no other context to it. He had nothing to add.

            Sam smirked at him from across the table. Dean’s ears were hot.

            “Sam,” Dean said, veering off of him and Cas, “how did you and Jess meet?”

            It was Sam’s turn to grow red in the face. Dean chuckled when Jess started in on how they met as if the tension between the two brothers was nonexistent.

+

 

            Dinner basically consisted of Mary and John thanking Cas for helping Dean and getting him to Bobby’s. They asked him about his life and were intrigued with his story. Dean noticed he left out the part about his parents being assholes. They then started in on Sam and Jess, who were now apparently ‘dating’ in the camp sense. That meant they hung out with each other on break and during meals and whatnot. It was pretty sweet, but Jess would be leaving in a couple of days, so Dean was pretty sure it wouldn’t last. Next week, Sam might meet a Ruby or an Amelia or something.

            Mary and John were heading back after dinner, since it was a three-hour drive, give or take. They were just happy to see Dean enjoying himself and bandaged and away from the fray. Dean was, too. Bobby’s cabin was actually a pretty cool place and his friends visited him each day so nothing really changed. Save for the food.

            After his parents left, embarrassing Sam by kissing him on his forehead, Jess and Sam headed back to their cabins, Bobby escorting them because of their newfound relationship. Dean and Cas sat down on the couch next to each other, hands on their full stomachs. Dean turned the TV on and they watched a little bit of _Footloose_ in silence.

            “I like your parents, Dean. They’re kind and understanding,” Cas pointed out.

            Dean snorted. “Yeah, tell me about it. When I came out I knew my mom would be all happy and dapper and all that shit, but I was afraid dad would skin my hide.” Dean turned to Cas. “Fortunately for me, dad kinda just shrugged it off and told me I'd better learn how to fight because not everyone is gonna be tolerant of that.”

            Cas smiled. “I wish I had that.”

            Dean elbowed him in the shoulder. “Hey, anytime you want some awkward dinners, just come on over.”

            Cas nodded and looked down at his entwined hands. “I think you’re the coolest person I’ve ever met. And Dean, that was a stupid question, by the way. Who wants to know who the coolest person another person has met anyway?”

            Dean burst out laughing. “I dunno, dude! I thought because you’re smart and weird and all, maybe you met, like, William Shatner or something.”

            Cas rolled his eyes. “Very stereotypical.”

            Dean smirked at him. “So I’m the coolest person you’ve ever met?”

            He nodded. “Yes. You’ve got that vibe.”

            Dean deadpanned. “That ain’t what I meant when I said cool. Not like, a badass, awesome person. I meant a person who you really like.”

            “You,” Cas said. Dean’s heart rate sped up. “You’re my favorite person, Dean. I’m happy to have met you rather than keep on rolling my eyes at you after you made fun of my awesome canoe sweater.”

            Dean had to play off his nerves. “Yeah, dude, you really gotta burn that thing. It’s so ugly.”

            “Because you hate it, I’m keeping it.”

            “I’ll burn it then.”

            “You will not. If you do, I’ll make you wear one of my great sweaters and we’ll be even.”

            Dean rolled his eyes. Cas scooted closer to him and rested his head on Dean’s shoulder. Dean froze at first, and then relaxed to the warmth. He turned up the movie and they watched until it was over.

            Throughout the entire movie, though, Dean was thinking about how much Cas meant to him, and if that meant setting aside his grudge against Hannah, he would. It wasn’t working out for him, anyway, this staying away from Cas. He was just…bored. And negative. He needed Cas and Cas needed him because Dean was his favorite person.

            Dean turned off the TV and looked down at Cas. He was sleeping soundly against Dean’s chest. He grinned, trying to relay to memory how adorable Cas looked when he was snoozing in his ugly canoe sweater, all snuggled up to Dean.

            He kissed Cas on the top of his head, chastely. Cas didn’t budge, but Dean’s heartbeat picked up after doing so, partly out of fear Cas would wake up, and partly because he kissed the guy whom he was falling so hard for in a gentle way. He sort of wished Cas would have felt it; would have woken up, so Dean could see how he responded. That wasn’t going to happen, and for now, it was Dean’s little secret. Cas breathed heavily and Dean just let him sleep, because he was comfortable having Cas here with him.


	6. Chapter 6

The week went by fast, at least to Dean. On Sunday after Cas’s church, everyone else was complaining about how the week stretched out for what seemed like forever. The kids were starting to get anxious and annoying so the counselors were all sick of them. Charlie was sad to see Jess go, but that was about it. Sam was also not thrilled on her leaving, but they promised each other they would keep in touch over Skype and by writing letters and using Facebook and Tumblr. Basically anything they had, they would use to keep in touch. It was a little clingy for Dean, but if Sam was happy, so was he.

            Jo was ecstatic to be leaving her counselor because she was a stupid, ditzy girly-girl that Jo was planning on punching in the face if she had to hear her laugh one more time.

Benny and Sam became acquaintances. It wasn’t exactly what Dean wished for them, but it was enough for now. They were polite to each other, but they stayed away from the overly-friendliness.

Cas was sad to see his group go, but this was because all of them were friendly and kind to him and looked up to him the entire week.

Dean was just excited to get a new assignment, and he was sincerely hoping and praying he didn’t get seventeens this week, or any other week, for the duration of his stay here.

After breakfast, they all headed to the counselor’s hang out to get their assignments.

Charlie and Hannah both got tens this week, and Charlie was squealing like a maniac while jumping up and down with Hannah. Benny had fourteens, which wasn’t much difference from his fifteens last week so he was indifferent to it.

Dean picked up his folder and the number at the top of his paper said ‘13’.

“Yessssss,” Dean said, setting his folder down. Cas looked up at him, eyes questioning.

“What did you get, Dean?”

Dean smiled. “Thirteens.”

Cas’s face broke out into an expression-filled grin. “Me too!”

“Should we make like Hannah and Charlie and freak the fuck out?” Dean questioned.

Cas shrugged. “Could be fun.”

Dean started jumping and Cas joined in with him, and then they both squealed mockingly. Charlie stomped over to them and stopped them, an annoyed look on her face.

“Don’t be assholes,” she warned.

“But Cas and I are just so excited we have the same group!” Dean exclaimed.

Cas placed both hands on his cheeks and screamed. “A-ha!”

“Cas, you want your face to look like his?” Charlie pointed at Dean and his slowly healing beaten up face and Dean shot her a ‘hey!’ look.

“No thank you,” Cas said, calming down.

“Good.” Charlie smacked both of their cheeks lightly and led Hannah out of the room.

+

 

After an intense game of ping-pong with winner versus winner and Jo beating everyone easily, they all headed to lunch. Gabriel was back at his job and the food was good again. Of course, Dean was lucky enough to have been chilling out at Bobby’s to get some real grub that week while everyone starved or toughened up and ate the wretched food.

Lunch today was sandwiches of all kinds with different choices of fruit and chips and cookies. It was simple yet fantastic, and they all took their food out onto the docks to eat near the water. Sam joined them today, but his mood wasn’t very set on joking. He wasn’t eating much either. Of course, that was all because his girlfriend left and he had to stay here for another month and a half without her.

“Let’s see if we have anything scheduled together,” Charlie said, taking out her schedule for the week. Everyone pulled out their own papers and opened them.

“Anyone have the art barn after breakfast on Monday, Wednesday, Friday?” Charlie asked.

“I do,” Benny replied. Charlie fist pumped and then high fived Benny.

“Cas,” Dean whispered, leaning into his friend while Charlie asked about her next event. “Let me see your schedule.”

Cas handed it to him, and Dean took out a pen and marked the events that were the same on both of theirs. They had bonding together, which Dean was super happy about. They had so much fun the last time. They also had free time again, which was practically Dean’s favorite time of the day. They had boating at the same time on Tuesday, and water games on Friday. This go round, they had quite a bit.

“Hey, Dean, c’mon man,” Charlie said, snapping at him. “Were you even listening to me?”

Dean shook his head. “No, I was bored to death.”

“Ha ha,” Charlie answered. "Do you have hiking at two tomorrow?”

Dean looked down at his schedule. “Nope. I have high ropes.” Great.

“You’ll be fine at that, Dean,” Cas said, smiling. “You did well last time.”

“Thanks Cas.”

“Ugh! I have to have free time alone! That’s not gonna be fun at all.” Charlie leaned her head on Hannah’s shoulder.

“Can we please talk about something else? Sam and I are dying here,” Jo said.

“I think we can manage that,” Benny replied, winking at her. Dean averted his eyes to Charlie, and she shook her head, glare on her face.

After lunch, they all decided to head back to the counselor’s room to play some board games and hopefully get control of the TV.

They played games until dinner and after their meal they went back to their cabins to hang out before the new arrivals came tomorrow.

+

 

            The kids came around three the next day. Dean barely had any time to hang out with his friends beforehand because he was so busy helping Bobby get ready for some new activities now that summer was starting to get warmer. Dean also had to clean up his cabin because before the seventeens left, they decided to trash the place. Gabriel must have about had it because he didn’t ask them to clean it up.

            He did get to see everyone at lunch. He caught up with them and asked Cas which bonding activity he wanted to do first. He thought the tire would be best. That was when the groups tried get everyone through this hole in a tire without having them touch it.

            “Alright, catch you guys on the flippety flop,” Dean said after lunch, going back to help Bobby.

            Dean was in his cabin when his new group arrived. Most of the kids were very polite and helpful, aiding Dean in throwing away the shit the previous group left behind.

            He really enjoyed this new group and when he brought out the activity for them to get to know each other, they all were excited to do it.

            Dean stepped out onto the porch while the kids all wrote down characteristics about themselves on a piece of paper.

            “Cas!” Dean yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. He heard footsteps coming from the cabin next to him and the door opened. Cas walked over to the end of his porch and leaned against the railing.

            “Hello Dean.”

            “How is your group?” Dean asked him.

            “Great,” Cas said, smiling. “Yours?”

            “Never have I been more thankful for thirteen year olds.”

            Cas chuckled. “See you at dinner?”

            “Of course.”

            Cas winked at Dean and entered the cabin. Dean stood in his spot for a second, registering if Cas winking at him actually happened or if it was all in his head.

            “Hey Dean, I have a question,” one of the guys from inside said. Dean turned on his heel, coming out of his reverie.

            “Sure thing.”

+

 

At dinner, Dean and Cas ate quietly while Charlie and Jo went on about whatever in the hell show they both watched together. Benny and Sam were conversing about the south and how it is portrayed in some classical books, or some English stuff that was meant for schools and not summer. Dean and Cas were comfortable in their eating macaroni and cheese that they didn’t speak to each other. Hannah would occasionally ask Cas a question, and he would reply wholeheartedly, but that was about it for his dinner conversation.

At campfire, Bobby went through his same spiel, adding on rules here or there or a stupid joke in between seriousness. Dean would lean back to Cas and make fun of the old man and Cas would reply with a laugh.

The thirteen year olds were smart enough not to go for the marshmallows first and they all stayed put, talking to their new friends from their cabin.

After campfire, they all headed up to their cabins, but Dean and Cas came up with an idea to go and sit at the picnic tables outside of their cabins with their groups to play a game.

The guys got dressed in their pajamas and brushed their teeth and then met Dean and Cas out on the benches.

“Okay guys, Dean and I were thinking we’d play ‘would you rather’. Sound good?”

The guys in both of their cabins nodded or said, ‘yes’ enthusiastically so Cas turned to Dean with a smile.

“Alright then. For those of you who don’t know how to play, watch this question so you get it,” Dean said. He stared up at the moon, thinking of something to ask Cas. “Okay, Cas, would you rather jump in the lake naked with people watching or swim in a swimming pool full of pee?”

Cas rolled his eyes. “How long do I have to swim?”

“An hour.”

“Naked.”

The guys at the table ‘oohed’ and shook their heads, obviously opposing Cas’s decision.

“Alright, you’re next Jake.”

They played for about two hours, the guys getting into it and asking things only thirteen year olds have in their heads. Throughout the night, Dean would catch Cas watching him. Of course, it was probably just because Dean was laughing at what some of the kids said and whatnot, but Dean couldn’t help but to notice. Eventually, the clock struck twelve and everyone had to wake up early tomorrow, so Dean called it a night. They all went back to their respective cabins, still talking and laughing about some of the questions or answers. Dean was grinning.

“We gotta play that with our friends. We’d get so dirty, it’d be great,” Dean said to Cas.

Cas was staring at Dean, his eyes wide and sparkling in the shine of the moonlight. Dean frowned, his eyebrows creasing.

“What?”

Cas shook his head. “You…never mind. Goodnight Dean.”

He turned on his heel and headed towards his cabin.

“Good…night…I guess,” Dean replied, confused as hell. He went to bed, wondering what the hell that was all about.

+

 

Monday went by and was a lot of fun. Whatever crawled up Cas’s butt the night before must have disappeared because Cas was having fun and joking with Dean through bonding and both of them decided to go for a swim during their break. At dinner, everyone had a grand old time joking and laughing and they carried it all the way to the campfire.

Tuesday, Cas was a little bit weird. He wouldn’t look at Dean properly and he would talk to him only when Dean initiated the conversation. He’d laugh at something Dean said, but today was apparently the day he wanted to be with Hannah. Dean tried not to get jealous again; he promised himself he wouldn’t. He focused on other things. He hung out with Benny and talked to Charlie about Marvel and other oddities.

Wednesday, Cas was himself again. He messed around with Dean, poking him and hitting his shoulder and laughing. They went to the art barn during their break and Cas sketched while Dean made a little figure out of wood. He gave it to Cas and Cas promised him he would put it in his car on the dashboard with a little bit of tape. Dean held him to that, for his ugly little troll looking wood piece took a half hour to make.

Thursday, Cas was wishy-washy with Dean again. He was confused as to why the guy determined every other day he’d be standoffish and removed from Dean. Dean took this day for himself. During break when Cas said he had to go and help Hannah with something, he decided to finish his comic book and start on the next one. Cas ended the day by coming over to Dean’s cabin and apologizing for his behavior. He awkwardly hugged Dean before leaving, and Dean was left just as confused as before.

He woke up on Friday ready to start his day. He was hungry and excited for bonding because today they were doing the wires. Those were his favorites. Cas was in high spirits, especially this morning, which was odd for him. During the wire session, Cas joined in and told Dean to as well.

After bonding, Dean and Cas grabbed some snacks and drinks from the canteen and headed out onto the dock to hang out for a little while. For whatever reason, that was what Cas wanted to do during their break.

Dean opened his starbursts and ate the pink one first. Cas reached over and took one from him. Dean eyed the package.

“You did not just take a red one from me.”

Cas held up the square. “Yes I did.”

“Why not an orange or yellow? No one likes those!” Dean exclaimed.

“Exactly,” Cas said, pulling the wrapping off of his candy. He popped it into his mouth. “Oh man, so good.”

“You’re an ass.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way, nice sweater. It’s almost as gay as me.” His sweater was blue and had a big sun with sunglasses on it and a house on a grassy hill. It looked like a two year old drew a picture and handed it to some grandma and told her to knit a sweater of said picture.

“Thank you.”

Dean shook his head, scoffing, and opened up another candy.

“Why’d you wanna chill here?” Dean asked him.

Cas shrugged and shifted uncomfortably. Dean furrowed his brow. Cas opted not to answer.

They sat in silence for a while. Dean ate his candy while Cas watched the boats and jet skis that passed by. Maybe it was the comfortable silence or the way he felt like he could ask Cas anything, or maybe it was because he grew some balls, but Dean decided on asking a question that had been bugging him since forever.

“Cas?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t get mad. But are you and Hannah…like, together?”

Cas turned to Dean, his face deadpan. Dean’s stomach dropped, dreading the answer. He wanted to take back his question and forget he ever asked and just go on pretending like nothing was happening between the two. He looked down at his hands and waited in anticipation for the answer he already knew.

Cas burst out laughing. He leaned back on the dock and held his stomach as it moved up and down to his chuckling. Dean stared on, not finding it funny at all. He kind of wanted to push Cas into the water. Maybe it would ruin his sweater.

Cas wiped away tears that were forming in his eyes and he let out a deep breath.

“Oh my…Dean, Hannah’s a lesbian. She and Charlie have been seeing each other for like two weeks now.”

Dean perked up and widened his eyes. “What the hell?” When did that happen? Hannah was a lesbian? And she was with Charlie? Huh?

“Technically, no one knows they’re seeing each other. I just happened to walk in on them making out one day and I was told to keep my mouth shut.”

Dean wanted to backtrack and have this be told to him slowly so he could process all this information.

“Wait, Hannah’s a lesbian? For how long?”

Cas raised an eyebrow, his mouth in a small grin. “Um, I assume all her life. I’m not sure. But she does not like what I have.”

Okay, well, Dean was all caught up now. But if Hannah was definitely not into Cas, then all the hanging off of each other, going on little date things was all friend stuff. I guess when you’re that close of friends and there’s no possibility of ever falling in love with one another, anyone can act like that.

And that ‘date’ with Charlie and Hannah and Cas must have been Charlie and Hannah going on a date with Cas as the loser third wheel. All the time the two girls had been spending together. It added up now.

“Wow,” Dean said, rubbing his hand down his scruff. “That’s all new to me.”

Cas smiled and shrugged, taking another red from Dean’s candy. Dean shot him a warning look, but Cas just smirked and popped it into his mouth.

“Why did you ask that?” Cas questioned Dean.

“You guys were all hanging off of each other and stuff.”

“Friends for life,” Cas said. “We’re really close, but not THAT close.”

Dean smirked. Cas stared at him. He scooted closer to Dean, his eyes not leaving Dean’s, which was starting to become a bit uncomfortable.

“Any other reason as to why you asked that?” Cas brought his knees up to his chest, his face getting red. He looked up through his eyelashes to meet Dean’s one last time, and Dean knew he knew. Cas was aware Dean liked him and he was prying for the truth and Dean couldn’t do that. He couldn’t tell Cas when he knew it wouldn’t be reciprocated and they’d be awkward friends, skirting around each other because Cas would know about his big gay crush and…and…

Cas smiled sweetly at Dean; he looked almost as if he was nervous or shy. It was supposed to be Dean who was that way.

Dean shoved his hands into his pockets, a gesture he did when he was nervous, and found a piece of paper in it. Maybe it was fate. He knew what the paper said. He’d retrieved it from the garbage that first night and for whatever reason, never threw it away.

Maybe he was supposed to use it again. After all, Cas was the one answering all of Dean’s questions. Maybe Dean could add one more, no matter how red his face would turn or how horribly wrong the outcome could be.

He pulled out the slip of paper and handed it to Cas. He took it and opened it up and Dean looked out onto the water, not wanting to see Cas’s face when he realized he would have to let Dean down gently.

 _Do you like guys?_ It was the question Cas wrote down to ask Dean during their poker game. Dean still had it and Cas’s handwriting was smudged, but it did the trick.

Dean felt the familiar gentle hand on his shoulder, and he turned to face Cas. Cas’s eyes were wide and so blue and he had a simple smile on his face, the paper in his hand still open. Dean waited for the letdown.

What he didn’t expect was Cas’s lips on his own. Cas leaned forward, closing his perfect eyes and Dean had to do the same as he sunk into his kiss. It was different- this being because it was Dean’s first kiss with a guy. He knew it was Cas’s too, but it seemed perfect. Cas reached his other arm to Dean and slung it over his shoulder. He deepened the kiss, opening up Dean’s mouth with his tongue to explore. Dean allowed him to, the taste of cherry starbursts dancing around his mouth. Dean fisted Cas’s sweater in his hand. He pressed their foreheads together and pulled back when he couldn’t breathe.

Cas was breathing hard as well. Dean could taste the sweetness in his mouth and all he really knew in this blissed out moment was that he wanted Cas. All and more of him.

“Is that a yes?” Dean asked, airily.

He opened his eyes and Cas’s blue ones were straight in front of him. He’d never seen them this close before.

“Obviously Dean. If I didn’t like guys, I probably wouldn’t be kissing you, a guy, right now.”

Dean huffed a laugh. “Cas, shut up with the sarcasm and kiss me again.”

Cas leaned back in and opened his mouth and they were connected again. Dean bit Cas’s lip, gently tugging on it and Cas moaned which did not do anything to the heat pooling in Dean’s lower belly. Cas dragged his tongue across Dean’s and it was sloppy and messy and both of them were pretty new at this, but Dean absolutely loved it.

Cas pulled away this time.

“You do realize that the paper asked me if I liked guys, not if I liked Dean Winchester, specifically, right?” Cas questioned Dean, biting his lip. God, he was just toying with him now.

Dean rolled his eyes. “Assuming you kissed me, that means you like me. Besides, I only asked if you like guys. I never said ‘I like you, do you like me?’.”

“Oh, I see now,” Cas said. “Okay, well, thanks for the kiss. I guess it was meant to be short lived. It’s been nice.”

“Your sarcasm is hot, but you really need to shut up right now.” Dean yanked on his shirt and pulled him in for a short kiss. “I like you Cas, do you like me,” Dean joked.

Cas nodded. “For five years, Dean.” He closed the space between them again.

Naturally, that would be the time that the bell decided to ring. On the bright side, there was food and Dean was starving. On the downside, he’d have to act like he didn’t want to attach himself to Cas every minute of dinner.

He pulled away slowly, opening his eyes. The bell finished its lingering cacophonous ringing, and they were left with the sound of waves lapping at the shoreline.

“So uh,” Dean began, licking his lips. “Dinner then?”

Cas nodded, smiling. “Sounds good to me.”

Dean stood up and held out his hand to help Cas. He took it and they both stared at each other, not really knowing how to go about everything now that…THAT had happened. Cas huffed out a laugh, shaking his head at their awkwardness. He placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder and led him forward.

“Come on, Dean,” he said, chuckling under his breath. Dean grinned and they both walked up the hill to the dining hall in a comfortable silence.

They were the first to arrive to dinner. Gabriel saluted them as they dished up their food, which was a delicious looking homemade pizza.

They sat down at their table and made eye contact with each other while they began eating. Neither of them talked.

Eventually, Benny and Jo joined them and then Charlie and Sam and finally Hannah.

“Hi Hannah,” Dean greeted. She furrowed her brow.

“Uh…hello, Dean,” she replied. Okay, so yeah, he’d been a dick to her these past couple of weeks and an abrupt change in his attitude would give someone whiplash, but he figured since she wasn’t a challenge, he could be nice to her. Which was really fucking rude of him, but internally that’s how he felt. What could he say?

Cas rolled his eyes at Dean, and Dean shot him a smirk.

Charlie groaned. “How was your guy's day? Mine was exhausting!”

Cas looked up at Dean and he blushed.

“Mine was very…different,” Cas said, blasé.

“How so?” Charlie asked, intrigued. She set her chin in her hand, leaning forward.

“I don’t know.” Cas shrugged. “I just did some new things is all.”

Charlie nodded, pursing out her bottom lip. “Cool. Anyone else?”

Jo nodded. “Yeah, during high ropes today I pushed some asshole chick in my cabin off the log. She freaked out and I had myself a good laugh. Oh, and after, I had a very informative talk with Bobby and Crowley because my behavior was not up to par.” She grinned sarcastically and shoved a pepperoni in her mouth.

“Now that’s the kind of action I’m talking about!” Charlie exclaimed, high fiving Jo. “Not that I condone that behavior as a counselor or anything.”

Jo nodded. “Absolutely. Of course you wouldn’t.” She winked at Charlie.

“How was your day, Hannah?” Charlie asked, leaning into her. Dean smirked a little and covered it up by pretending to wipe his face with the napkin.

“Good. We went canoeing today and saw a black bear drinking from the lake. It was really interesting.” Hannah took out her cellphone and handed it to Charlie. She looked at the pictures and smiled.

“That’s so cool.” Charlie handed the phone to Cas and he widened his eyes.

“That’s awesome, Hannah! You don’t see those much around here.”

“I wanna look,” Dean said, taking the phone from Cas’s hands. Hannah and Charlie looked at each other, and Dean pretended not to notice. He flipped through the pictures, which were actually pretty awesome. The bear was really close and it would have been cool to see. “I’m jealous,” Dean said, handing the phone back to Hannah.

They all finished dinner and raced each other down to the campfire. Charlie, Cas and Hannah decided to stick with their groups, but Dean sat next to Benny in the very back. They played a game of dirt tic-tac-toe with a twig while waiting for everyone to join campfire, and then some of the drama counselors came out to put on a small comedy skit they wrote. Dean paid attention this time and it was actually pretty funny. Garth had a great, if not nerdy, sense of humor. Dean gave him props.

After their skit, someone turned on the boom box and some shitty pop music blared out of it.

“Ugh…why can’t people listen good music?” Dean questioned anyone, not really directing it towards Benny. Benny seemed to want to answer, though.

“You’d better learn how to get used to it,” he said, poking Dean with the twig. “Your boyfriend digs it.” Benny nodded his head over to Cas, who was bopping his head along to the beat and mouthing the words while his group went up to get marshmallows.

Dean furrowed his brow, staring at Cas. “Ha, funny.” Dean cleared his throat.

Benny rolled his eyes and pressed against Dean’s shoulder. “Don’t hide it, brother. I knew you were into the nerd, but I figured you wouldn’t have the balls to do nothin’ about it.”

“I don’t follow,” Dean said.

“Saw you two kissin’ down on the dock,” Benny said and Dean blushed. He leaned into him. “You were kinda in the open. Hard not ta see. Congrats, brother.”

Dean’s ears were on fire, and all he could manage was a nod and a small smile to his friend.

+

 

            Campfire ended at nine and Dean led his group back up to their cabin. Cas was still down there with is group; they were planning on having a late snack because Gabriel was cooking up something good in the kitchen.

            The kids complained about the hill of hell as they trekked up it, and Dean informed his group that he would give the person who got to the top first a jolly rancher. The kids raced up the hill then, out of breath and fighting with their legs to take them all the way up.

            Two kids named Ben and Frank made it up the hill at the same time, and he told them they’d both get two and everyone else could still have one.

            The kids got their night bags and pajamas and headed down to the bathrooms to get ready for bed. This was one of their favorite rituals since they were alone and Dean didn’t have to watch them. Dean, however, noticed when he went to the bathroom after they were all done that they liked to write on the mirrors after they steamed the place up. Everyone also liked to leave some kind of drawing on the bathroom stalls. It was actually really good reading material for going number two if he forgot his phone.

            Dean lay on his bed reading his comic while all the kids did their own thing. The cabin was quiet, save for a cricket outside the open window and the lake lapping onto the shore. The moon was full and shining brightly through the window and reflecting on the lake.

            Eventually, the kids started coming back in ones and twos and threes. They were all riled up from their bathroom shenanigans and were jumping from bed to bed, squealing and joking and laughing. Dean pretty much ignored it. He remembered the fun times he had with Benny in his younger years. They got up to a lot of trouble back then, joking and being obnoxious and trying to get all the other guys to join in. Once, they went and pranked a girls cabin at two in the morning. Their counselor was pissed, but they decided it was worth it. They were also notorious for going on adventures in the woods, which was nicknamed ‘Purgatory’. There was some old folk tale that people who went into the woods never came back out again. They were simply stuck there. Obviously, this was untrue. They pretended it was though and acted like they had to fight their way through monsters to get back to camp. They even had these cool sticks that they pretended were their murder weapons. Also, Benny was a vampire in this game because he was obsessed with _Twilight._ Benny informed Dean a year later that if he ever told anyone about it, he’d kill him. Dean still liked using it for blackmail, and he still joked around with Benny about it.

            Once almost everyone was back, Dean figured he could go down and get ready himself. He’d have to shower tonight since he hadn’t in a couple of days. He was starting to feel the dirt on his skin, and his hair was getting all greasy.

            He fished his toiletry bag out of his duffle and snatched his pajamas and phone off of the bed before heading down.

            There were only a couple of kids in the bathroom; two were from his cabin and the others were in someone else’s. He turned on a shower and stepped in the cubicle, relishing the hot water beating down on his rank skin and hair. He shampooed and conditioned his hair in no time, and then stood under the hot water for a couple of minutes before getting out. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked over to the sinks to brush his teeth.

            He looked in the mirror and noticed he was sunburned. Probably from being near the lake for so long today. His freckles were speckled wildly across his nose and cheeks, and they reappeared on his arms and upper back. He wasn’t too fond of them, but there was no way he could escape them.

            The thing he found most funny was the outlined sunburn of a hand on his left arm. A couple of days ago when Cas wasn’t being weird, they’d both fallen asleep during break. For whatever reason, Cas had his arm on Dean’s bicep and shoulder, and the sun burned the shape into it. It looked ridiculous, but Dean actually kind of liked it. It was weird.

            Speaking of Cas, Dean hadn’t thought about the goings on of the dock since dinner. Now that it was in his mind again, he froze up. They’d actually kissed. Cas had actually said he liked guys, and they kissed. He liked Dean. And Dean still had no idea what that meant.

            He wondered about all the awful and fantastic events that could possibly happen next. Would Cas back away from him now? Would he want to be more than friends? Would things be awkward between them?

            Dean sighed, taking one last look at his face before turning around to pick up his pajamas to put on. The bottoms were flannel and his top was a Led Zeppelin shirt his dad got at one of their concerts in the seventies.

            He headed out and went back up the hill. His calves were burning by time he reached the top, and he had to stop and take a few deep breaths. He wasn’t as in shape as he used to be and he still hadn’t gotten used to the damned hill. Also, it’d been a month since they’d been here.

            “Psst.”

            Dean whipped his head around and looked from his cabin over to Cas’s cabin and saw nothing. Both lights were on and he could hear laughter and voices coming from each of them, but there was nothing outside.

            “Hello?” Dean questioned the air.

            “Psst.”

            Okay, that one came from between the two cabins over by a couple of trees a bit behind them.

            Dean headed in that direction, sort of knowing it was Cas’s voice, but a little wary of it being a random kids’.

            “Marco,” Dean said.

            “Huh?”

            Of course Cas didn’t get that reference. Dean made it to the trees and Cas popped out from behind one. His hair was sticking out at all ends and he was wearing a sweater with a big C knitted into it and some sweatpants and his Birkenstocks. He had on his glasses as well.

            Dean smirked. “Lookin’ good there, Cas. Is your mother Mrs. Weasley?”

            Cas looked down at his sweater, pulling it out a little ways. He brought his gaze back up to Dean, a smirk on his face.

            “You wish,” Cas replied.

            Dean opened his mouth to say something, but Cas was on him in an instant, pushing him back against the cabin wall and kissing him hard. Dean’s eyes were wide open out of initial shock, but as soon as that feeling passed, he closed his eyes to enjoy Cas’s sloppy, open-mouthed kiss that was extremely forceful and not to mention extremely fervent.

            Cas had fistfuls of Dean’s worn out shirt, and Dean was still too shocked to even do anything with his own hands, so they were flat against the wall he was being held against.

            Cas pulled away, eyes shining bright through his glasses, which had the reflection of the moon on them.

            “Jesus,” Dean said, letting out a deep breath. “Hello to you too, Cas.”

            Cas smirked in reply and let go of Dean’s shirt, smoothing the wrinkles down with his hands.

            “I had to,” Cas said, and Dean opened his eyes wider.

            “Oh really, now?”

            “Yes. All I could think about during dinner and campfire and hanging out with Gabe wass kissing you.”

            “Why thank you,” Dean said. Cas rolled his eyes. “Nah. Same here, Cas. I was afraid you’d kinda…y’know, flake out. Or have this be awkward.”

            Cas shook his head. “No. Never. Our friendship is more important than anything. I just became friends with you this year. I don’t want it to end one month in.”

            Dean nodded. “Good. So, is that what we are then? Just friends? Is that what you want to be?”

            Cas shrugged, and then placed his hands on his hips. “I think I’ve been answering enough questions thank you very much. It’s your turn.” He smirked.

            Dean crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh thanks. Put me on the spot why don’t you.”

            “What do you want to be, Dean?” Cas ran a hand through his hair and that basically just answered Dean’s question. Of course he wanted to be more than friends, but he also wanted to be friends. Because he'd always wanted to be friends with this lanky, glasses wearing kid. But now that he knew the lanky, glasses wearing kid, he wanted to be more than friends. And the good thing about lanky, glasses wearing kid was that when he wore his stupid sweaters and his ugly glasses, Dean could basically be himself and he became vulnerable. He told the truth.

            “I want to be friends with you, Cas,” Dean began, and Cas’s smile somewhat dropped. Dean smirked. “But I also want to be more than friends with you. Can that happen?”

            Cas opened his blue eyes wider and Dean wanted to pull him in again. “Honestly, I don’t know. I guess we’re going to have to find out, then. Aren’t we?”

            Dean’s heart beat faster because basically that just sealed the deal on them and their friendship and their more than friendship and Cas was all his. He could kiss Cas and he could make fun of Cas and hold his hand and be close to him. He didn’t have to get jealous and he didn’t have to worry about anyone. He mentally fist bumped. His hand flew out and fisted Cas’s scratchy sweater and he yanked him forward, enveloping him in a kiss.

            Cas wrapped his hands around Dean’s shoulders, which reminded Dean that he would have to show Cas that ugly handprint, but now he focused on how Cas tasted and how he felt on his fingertips. He brought his hands up to Cas’s hips and felt the warmth of his stomach as he slipped under the hemline of his sweater. Goosebumps erupted violently across Cas’s stomach, but he stayed connected to Dean. He tasted like strawberries and Dean was all minty toothpaste, but it didn’t really matter. Cas’s hands were soft on Dean’s nape and his sweater was warm and, okay, Dean was seriously considering trying one of the stupid things on.

            “Dean? Are you out here?”

            Dean and Cas pulled away from each other. He recognized the voice of Ben. Cas pulled down his sweater and stepped back from Dean, his eyes not leaving his face.

            “Uh, yeah. I’ll be in in just a second.” Dean could hear and feel how hoarse his voice was. Cas smirked.

            Ben rounded the corner and stopped abruptly when he saw Cas and Dean. Though they were a couple of feet apart now, they looked wrecked. Cas’s hair was all over the place, his sweater in disarray and lips swollen. Dean’s shirt was wrinkled and he had that blissed out look about him.

            “Um…what’s going on?” Ben questioned Dean, his gaze going from Cas to his counselor.

            Dean pursed his lips. “Uh…Cas and I were just having a talk.”

            Ben raised an eyebrow. “Uh huh. Sure. You want to tell the truth now?”

            Dean was taken aback. For a thirteen-year-old kid, he sure picked up on a lot and was persnickety.

            “Uh-.”

            “Dean and I were having a grown up conversation about some things we needed to get sorted out,” Cas interrupted, looking at Dean for help. Dean shrugged.

            “Sure thing.” Ben crossed his arms over his chest. Dean noticed he was wearing an AC/DC shirt and he reminded himself to tell Ben he liked it when they were out of this conversation. “How about you and counselor Cas here were having some big hoorah behind the cabins. It’s fine, Dean. You’ve been gone a long time, so I just wanted to see if you were alright. Obviously you are.” Ben nodded in Cas’s direction, a playful smile spreading across his face.

            Dean pursed his lips out and nodded slowly. “Okay, good observation. You ain’t freaked out or anything?”

            Ben shrugged. “I don’t care what shit you get up to. It’s not my business. Besides, I’m not biased. My mom’s brother is gay, so, y’know, I grew up with it.”

            Dean grinned and nodded. “Wow. Thanks, Ben. Look, I’ll head inside in a second. I just need to talk to Cas for a minute.”

            “Talk. Sure. I’ll tell the guys you’re still down in the showers.”

            “Thanks, kid.”

            “No problem.” Ben headed back around the cabin.

            Cas turned to Dean and Dean stuck out his lips. “Good kid.”

            “Someone actually grown up around here,” Cas replied.

            “Speaking of gay,” Dean began, looking at Cas. “Are you gay? Or bisexual? Pansexual?”

            Cas shrugged. “I’ve never really…I’ve never been attracted to a woman before, but I have...enjoyed men, so…” Cas sighed. “Gay probably. I don’t know yet.”

            Dean smiled. “Whatever. You don't have to label it now. Just curious.” He stepped towards Cas.

            “Do you remember how I told you about my parents?”

            Dean nodded.

            “Okay,” Cas said, taking a deep breath. “You’ll have to forgive me if I have a little gay panic moment. I still hear my parents in my head telling me it isn’t right.” Cas swallowed. “But I’m not going to let that get in the way of this, Dean. I’ve liked you for so long, now that it’s happening, I can’t just let that go. Not now.”

            Dean pressed his forehead against Cas’s. “Duly noted. Look Cas, when you do have those panic moments, just remember two things. One, I’m super hot and you really can’t do better.” Cas rolled his eyes but had a wide grin on his face. “Two, you kind of marked me as yours, so you can’t go back on your choice.”

            Cas furrowed his eyebrows.

            Dean pulled up his sleeve and showed Cas the handprint. The shorter guy placed hand over it, making Dean's arm burn with the interaction. Cas's hand fit, though, and he started chuckling.

            “Dean, you look bizarre.”

            Dean shrugged. “I kinda like it. It looks badass.”

            Cas rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I can’t let the weird, narcissistic asshole go. Who could I make out with while also getting a lesson as to why you’re so awesome?”

            “No one, that’s who,” Dean answered. “Not to mention the additional making fun of your sweaters and other various items you own.”

            “I’ll get you into one of these sweaters one day,” Cas said.

            “Probably,” Dean admitted. He smirked.

            “Is that you saying you WANT to wear one, Dean Winchester?” Cas questioned him.

            Dean gripped Cas’s shoulders in his hands and pulled him forward. “That’s not a definite answer. It ain’t a yes or a no.”

            “You’ll get into one.”

            “Alright, Cas.” Dean leaned forward and kissed Cas’s smile gently. This time, he wanted it to be chaste and simple and sweet. Like a cheesy good night kiss one would see in a stupid movie. But Dean definitely wasn’t calling it a good night kiss, even if it was a kiss and even if it was a good night.

            Cas pulled away. “Good night, Dean.”

            Okay, so maybe it was.

            “Night Cas.” He pulled away from Dean and pushed him in the shoulder before rounding the cabin. Dean stood there for a little while in one place, staring out at the lake and the white of the moon. He couldn’t believe the events of today, but here he was with the ghost of a kiss on his mouth and his boyfriend…yeah, boyfriend next to his cabin and a whole lot of exploring to do together.

            Dean knew he wouldn’t get much sleep tonight. His red ring around his handprint was pounding with heat and his lips were still tingling from the attention they’d gotten and his hands could still feel the goosebumps under Cas’s shirt. He couldn’t wait until tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7

Once again, the wonderful week of no kids arrived. Dean couldn’t believe it had already been five weeks since they’d started. It’d been a whirlwind of five weeks, that was for sure. In fact, a lot had changed since that first day. Especially with Cas, which made Dean think things were going too fast between them. Then he threw that idea out the window, because even though he never knew Cas as much as he did now, he had known the guy from the previous years of camp.

            The only thing that didn’t change wass the way his friends perceived him and Cas. None of them knew Dean and Cas weren’t just friends anymore. None of them knew what had transpired in the past couple of days, or the new way they interacted with each other. None of them knew that Dean and Cas retired to their cabins early on Sunday so they could make out in a vacant cabin and talk about random shit neither of them knew about each other.

            To be fair, Charlie and Hannah weren’t saying anything about their games of tonsil hockey either. And Dean was pretty sure Benny and Jo were doing things behind the curtain, too. It was an array of friendships that went beyond friendships, and no one was saying anything about it.

            On Monday, Bobby met up with the gang bright and early on the basketball courts. He had fresh food and snacks in tow, and he wished everyone well. Gabriel would be joining them later, and Sam decided against it this week. Dean figured he was still in a melancholy from losing Jess two weeks ago. He’d been writing her nearly every day. Dean figured he’d just hang out at Bobby’s and wrack up the old man’s phone bill and use his Wi-Fi to an extent.

            They all headed to Charlie’s cabin again, this time with more food and supplies. Everyone chose their same rooms as last time. This was definitely alright with Dean, since he and Cas could be in the same room without getting suspicious looks. They pushed their beds together upstairs, praying to God that the wood between the attic and the ceiling of downstairs was thick enough to muffle the sound out.

            Gabriel arrived earlier this week than he did two weeks ago. He had beer in hand and some breakfast from the kitchen. Everyone sat down at the table to eat his sausage and egg casserole and fresh fruit.

            “How goes it, people?” Gabriel asked around a mouthful of casserole. For being a great cook and having manners in the kitchen, he was awful around the food after it was served. “Anything new and fun and exciting?”

            Dean turned to Cas and smirked.

            Everyone shook their heads and pursed their lips in thought.

            Gabe rolled his eyes. “You guys are la-ame!” He stabbed a grape with his fork. “What about you, Cassie? Anything new?”

            Cas shrugged. “Not really.”

            Gabe pushed his brother. “Get a life, bro.”

            Cas nodded and went back to his casserole.

            “What’s on the agenda today?” Gabe asked, looking mostly at Charlie since the place was basically hers.

            She shrugged. “Whatever you guys wanna do. I was thinking we could all go to that new horror movie after dinner. It looks terrible.”

            Benny nodded. “I’d be up for it. I saw the trailer on my phone last night.”

            Gabe smacked his food. “Sounds good to me.”

            After breakfast, Charlie and Hannah did the dishes together while everyone vegged out on the couches and chairs in the living room.

            Benny and Jo decided to go for a hike after chilling for a little while. Jo really enjoyed the nature and of course Benny would follow. Dean motioned to Charlie and smirked. He was so gonna win that bet. He just needed proof by sight or words. Charlie flipped him off with a soapy finger.

            Gabe headed back to his room to take a nap. He had to wake up early every morning so as to get breakfast going before everyone else woke up. He needed a little time to himself, and since none of them were planning on doing anything today, Gabe could do so. Charlie, Hannah, Dean and Cas were left in the open living room and kitchen. The dishes were almost done, and Dean and Cas were lazily coloring in coloring books with really dumb pictures in it, like a lion in a circus and a cat doing hopscotch. In all fairness, the coloring books were bought in the late 90’s and had been there since then. The pages were even yellowing.

            Cas nudged Dean in the shoulder, still coloring a dolphin jumping out of water in an ugly shade of purple. Dean set his crayon down and looked at Cas.

            “What?” Dean questioned him, looking over Cas’s shoulder to Charlie and Hannah.

            “We should set them up on a lunch date,” Cas said, nodding his head back to the two girls.

            Dean crossed his arms and whispered, “I thought I wasn’t supposed to know anything about it.”

            Cas shrugged. “Just say I accidentally told you if they get mad.”

            “Alright then. What should we set them up with?” Dean questioned Cas. Cas pinched the fabric of Dean’s t-shirt in his fingers and stood up. Dean followed him outside. Cas pulled out his cellphone.

            “Let’s make reservations for a nice restaurant for lunch.”

            “I thought nice restaurants only served dinner and wine and cheese and shit,” Dean said. Cas rolled his eyes and placed the phone against his ear.

            He cleared his throat and opened his eyes when someone on the other end obviously answered. His pitch went up an octave and he suddenly became more polite. “Yes, I was wondering if I could reserve a table for lunch please.”

            A pause. Dean stared into his eyes, and Cas watched him while listening.

            “Yes. It will be two ladies. Under the name Bradbury.” Cas smiled at Dean.

            “Yes, that sounds wonderful. Thank you very much.”

            Cas hung up and slipped his phone in the back pocket of his shorts. Dean opened his eyes wider.

            “So? What’s the verdict?”

            Cas smoothed out the wrinkles on Dean’s shirt. “They have reservations at one, and we’re going to give them money to go since we set this up.”

            Dean scoffed. “Hey, it wasn’t my idea!”

            Cas pulled on Dean’s shirt and retracted his hand. “How rude. You wouldn’t do one nice favor for your dear friend Charlie who is letting you stay in her cabin and eat her food.”

            Dean rolled his eyes and shoved a twenty-dollar bill at him. Cas smiled and looked up at Dean.

            “Thank you,” he replied, sweetly.

            “Yeah, you owe me.”

            Cas raised an eyebrow. “Alright, Dean.”

            He went back inside.

+

 

            “…so take this money and have a good lunch and order something expensive,” Cas said, handing Hannah the money they mustered up. Hannah blushed and Charlie was glaring at Dean. He felt squeamish under her threatening eyes.

            “Thank you, Castiel. That’s very kind of you. And Dean,” Hannah added. She turned to Charlie, and the red head averted her eyes from Dean to reply to her girlfriend with a smile and nod, and then her eyes were back on Dean with annoyance.

            “The reservation is under Bradbury. You could probably take bikes into town. Maybe Benny would allow you to take the truck,” Cas offered. Charlie stood up.

            “Oh, we’re taking the truck,” she said. “And we’re gonna need another twenty for gas, since Benny’s truck is almost out.”

            Cas reached into his pocket, but Charlie reached out her hand and placed it on his shoulder.

            “Not from you, sweetie. Dean, mind handing over a little gas money to help me out? It’s the least you could do,” Charlie said, mockingly. Dean rolled his eyes and reached into his wallet, pulling out a twenty.

            “Have fun,” he said, smiling. Charlie poked him in the chest.

            “We’re talking when I get back,” she said. Dean shrugged.

            “Looking forward to it,” he replied, smirking. She and Hannah headed for the door and Dean started waving. “I love you!”

            Charlie turned around and said, “I know,” through gritted teeth. Dean knew she wasn’t super mad at him; she was probably mostly confused as to how Dean found out.

            In fact, Cas was the only one who knew before Dean. Shouldn’t she be angry with Cas? Then again, Cas’s face made it kind of hard to be mad at him. He had the gummy smile and innocent blues. Not to mention how hard it was to be an ass to him when he had on his glasses that made his eyes ten times wider.

            The door slid closed, signifying the exit of the two women. Dean turned to Cas.

            “We are now all alone,” Dean said, his voice inflection signifying seduction. Cas punched his shoulder.

            “My brother is sleeping not twenty feet away, and you’re suggesting we have some fun?” Cas shook his head. “No way.”

            “Gabe is sleeping,” Dean said. “Besides, the thrill comes from the slight chance you might get caught.” He waggled his eyebrows.

            Cas sat down on the couch and crossed his legs, setting them on the coffee table.

            “Absolutely not,” Cas replied. “There’s not just the getting caught part. Gabe and none of my family know I’m gay...or whatever. I’d rather explain it in a timely fashion, rather than having my brother come in while our hands and mouths are all over each other.”

            Dean held up his hands in defeat. “Alright, alright. So we just go upstairs.”

            Cas paused, his blue eyes locking onto Dean’s.

            “Yeah, okay,” Cas said, standing up. Dean smirked and raced Cas to the ladder that led to the attic.

            They both fell onto Dean’s springy bed, Cas on top of Dean. They were a tangle of limbs while they sloppily made out. Cas rested his elbows on the mattress, next to Dean’s head. He pulled away from Dean’s lips, staring down at him, breathing erratic. Dean stared back, pupils blown and wonder in his gaze.

            Neither of them were tired of it. They’d been making out and exploring one another (in a way that was totally PG-13, if Dean had to rate it) and they just couldn’t get enough in the past couple of days.

            Dean reached up with his hand, his eyes not leaving Cas’s. He placed it on his scratchy cheek and grinned.

            “Dean, you’re…” Cas brought his hand up to the top of Dean’s and folded his fingers through them. “You’re beautiful.”

            Dean couldn’t help but to blush. And yeah, if he were to hear those words any other time, he would have found them to be cheesy and cliché. This was Cas though, and he was saying it to Dean and he meant it and Dean just wanted to hold Cas. And he could.

            Dean ushered him back down, and Cas lost his grip on the bed. He fell on top of him and Dean wrapped his arms around Cas in somewhat of an embrace. He passed Cas’s mouth and pressed a warm kiss into his neck, making him erupt in goosebumps.

            Cas knew Dean had to feel uncomfortable, so he used his knees to get back up. His thigh brushed against Dean and he hissed with pleasure, bucking up a little. This was new to Cas. He looked down at Dean, and his eyes were lust blown; his jaw was clenching.

            “Dean?” Cas questioned him.

            Dean clenched his jaw once again and then answered. “I’m good, just give me a sec.”

            Cas tilted his head curiously. Dean tried thinking of things that were unpleasant, biting his lip as he did so. Cas quirked an eyebrow and shifted again and Dean was back to where he started. Pleasure shot straight through him and if he didn’t tell Cas to knock it off, there would be an issue.

            Cas, however, seemed to know exactly what he was doing now. A smirk was playing on his face as he stared down at Dean, shifting once again. Dean couldn’t help a groan escape his lips, and Cas leaned down to take it from him.

            Dean figured two could play at this game. Obviously Cas was fucking with him, rather than being completely unsure of how he was affecting Dean at the moment. He wasn’t uncomfortable and Dean figured if he enjoyed seeing him get all blissed out, he should take his turn.

            Dean rotated a bit, sliding his leg in between Cas’s, and brushed against him. Cas pulled away from Dean, shocked, and Dean chuckled.

            “What? Gotta put in my two cents,” Dean told him. Cas’s eyes were shot and Dean could feel his heart beating faster.

            Apparently Dean didn’t have to do anything to continue on with his turn, because Cas decided to go on for both of them. He slid down so they were flush against each other, and then grinded their hips together. Dean bit his lip, stifling the moan escaping his mouth.

            So yeah, he had never done anything sexual before. Save for please himself, but that was a whole different ballgame. This was different. There was actually another person with him, going through the same experience with him. He was turning Cas to mush and Dean himself was so close.

            Dean had two girlfriends before: Lisa and Cassie. He and Lisa made out a lot, but neither of them had done anything, especially because that was around the time Dean came out. She still liked him, but Dean broke up with her because people grew to absolutely hate him and he didn’t want to ruin her reputation. So basically he hadn’t given her a choice, but she seemed to be okay with being friends. Cassie was Dean’s girlfriend before her, and they hadn’t done anything at all, save for go on a few dates. Cas was Dean’s first actual relationship, and he certainly hadn’t done any of this before. He was fairly sure Cas was new to EVERYTHING, including making out, but he was going at it like a pro. At least, Dean thought he was. Everything felt right. Perhaps it was just because he liked Cas so much that even if everything they had done and were currently doing was wrong, he just wouldn’t give a shit anyway.

            Cas was coming undone on top of Dean. His eyes were closed in ecstasy, his mouth parted and tongue running over his lips, as if he was concentrating hard on something. His arms were shaking, both from holding himself up and from the pleasure in his body. Dean was the same. His belly was starting to erupt in pleasure, and he knew he’d be gone in a matter of seconds. Cas looked like he was in the same boat. Dean forced himself to keep his eyes open; to stare at Cas and watch his face.

            Cas opened his eyes and Dean’s locked on.

            “Dean, I think-.”

            Dean pulled Cas in for a  quick kiss and replied, “Me too.”

            Cas brushed against Dean one last time and he came. Dean watched his face squint in pleasure and he figured that was his cue. He went over the edge and pleasure spread throughout his entire body as he came in his pants like a kid.

            Dean opened his eyes, breathing hard. Cas was staring down at him, his pupils still blown, but he had a smile on his face.

            Dean’s eyes dropped to his mouth. He reached his hand up, fisting Cas’s shirt, and pulled him down so their mouths clashed together. Dean pressed through Cas’s lips and his tongue roamed around Cas’s mouth. He reached his hand back and slid his fingers through Cas’s hair, grabbing a fistful. He pressed their faces closer together, if that was even possible.

            Finally, Cas pulled away to breathe.

            “Wow,” was all he could say. Dean smirked.

            “We’d better get ourselves cleaned up cuz when this stuff dries, we’re in for an uncomfortable experience.”

            Cas nodded and rolled off the bed to his feet. He made a face at his discomfort and Dean clapped a hand on his shoulder. “C’mon.”

            They both headed down the stairs, awkwardly, and made for the bathroom. Dean wetted down a towel and tossed it to Cas, getting another one for himself. They both faced a different way and cleaned themselves up. Dean figured Cas probably wanted some privacy now that he was off the high of pleasure.

            They changed their pants and underwear and then headed to the washer, throwing their towels and clothes in. Cas leaned against the dryer, arms crossing over his chest, while Dean filled the washer up with detergent and fabric softener.

            “You’d make a sexy homemaker,” Cas commented. Dean looked up through his lashes and rolled his eyes.

            “You wish,” he replied. He turned the knob to casual and pressed the button to start it. “You hungry?”

            Cas pursed his lips. “I could eat.”

            Dean slipped his hand through Cas’s and led him out to the kitchen.

            “This obviously adds to my previous conjecture when I said you’d be a sexy homemaker.” Cas rested his chin in his hand while Dean prepped bread to make grilled cheese.

            Dean rolled his eyes at Cas.

            “Dean,” Cas began, reaching into the bowl in front of him to snack on some grapes Bobby gave them.

            “Huh?”

            “That was fun,” Cas said. Dean blushed; he kind of figured what Cas was talking about.

            He nodded. “Yeah,” Dean said. “It was.”

            “That-that’s gonna happen again, right?” Cas asked. Dean could feel the other guy blushing, so he turned.

            “Duh,” Dean replied. Cas smiled. “Only next time you’d better wear a sweater instead of that dumb t-shirt. Those things really turn me on. Especially the ones that make absolutely no sense.” He winked at Cas.

            “I knew you liked them,” Cas said.

            Dean leaned into the counter. “That’s what caught my eye in the first place five years ago. Obviously they do something for me.”

            Cas leaned in closer to his boyfriend. “Does that mean you want me to wear the glasses, too?”

            Dean shook his head. “No, dude, your eyes would be bigger than they are now. I’d keep thinking you’re nervous or scared or something. Also, if we get too into it, I’d be afraid I’d break them. Can’t have that, or else I won’t have anything to make fun of you with since I’ve already laid out on the table that your ridiculous sweaters basically turn me on.” Dean pulled back. “However, your demeanor kind of screams ‘loser’ to me, so there’s always that.”

            Cas rolled his eyes and kept them on Dean while he made the grilled cheese.

+

 

            Eventually, Jo and Benny returned from their hike. Jo found a tick in her hair and freaked out when Cas spread her hair apart and Benny took tweezers to it. They flushed it down the toilet, making sure it officially went down, and Jo took an early drink from the fridge.

            Gabriel woke up not long after that, the drifting voices doing nothing to help his slumber. He was hungry, though, so Dean fed him an extra grilled cheese. Gabe said it was subpar, which Dean took to mean ‘good’ since no one cooked as well as Gabe did. Besides, he ate it so it couldn't have been that bad.

            Charlie and Hannah arrived an hour later, full from their gourmet lunch and with leftovers in their hands. Hannah gave hers to Gabriel and they rounded the table to make their big announcement.

            “So basically,” Charlie began, looking to Hannah for support. Hannah ushered her on, her big blue eyes loving. She blew on her bangs. “Yeah, basically Hannah and I are dating.”

            Dean and Cas smiled at them, because they obviously knew. Gabriel congratulated them, raising a beer. Jo and Benny also congratulated them, giving them hugs and asking when they became a thing. Apparently it started two to three weeks ago, Dean figured. He sure spent quite a bit of his time hating nothing. He’d never assume again. Okay, yeah, he probably would, but that was just his personality.

            “Alright, in honor of our dear lesbians here, I will make a fantastical dinner that will surpass all the fantastical dinners I’ve ever made! Then we can head out to the movie and have ourselves a magical time!” Gabriel exclaimed, hopping off of his stool.

            “Sounds good,” Dean said, his stomach already grumbling.

+

 

            “Who’s doing laundry?” Charlie yelled from the laundry room in the back. Everyone was congregating in the living room after a filling and delicious dinner, waiting to go to the movie.

            Dean’s face turned red and he hopped up from the couch. Cas’s face also twisted with concern.

            “Um…um… I am!” Dean exclaimed. “I’ll get it.”

            He ran to the back, almost hitting Charlie on his way. She held up her hands.

            “Dude! What up?” She asked, turning as he raced on down the hallway.

            “Sorry, it’s just I need to get them out. The tag says not to leave them in the dryer for too long after the cycle ends.”

            “Those are some pretty extensive instructions for basic pants,” Charlie’s tinny voice said, echoing in the hallway.

            “Yup. Weird ass pants. Bought them at Walgreens or JCP or…somewhere.”

            “That’s normally where pants come from,” Charlie replied, slowly.

            Dean sighed. “Hey, I think Hannah was looking for you.”

            “Okay.” He heard Charlie walk back into the living room and he let out a deep breath.

            He bundled up his and Cas’s pants and underwear and made his way to the ladder. Everyone stared at him as he climbed up to their room, but the way he shoved the pants into the crook of his elbow made it seem like there was only one pair.

            Thankfully, they left for the movie after that. Benny, Charlie, Jo and Hannah all squished into the small truck seats, and Gabriel, Cas and Dean all lay down in the bed. Benny warned them not to sit up, and so the ten miles into town was spent staring up at the sky and yelling out what shapes they saw in the clouds over the wind.

            Everyone handed Benny the money to buy the tickets and they all went in to get the popcorn, candy and drinks. Dean bought him and Cas popcorn and they both ordered small drinks.

            They sat next to each other in the theater. They were at the end of the row and Benny sat on the other side of Dean. He enjoyed movies with Benny since the guy didn’t text or talk, which seemed to be what his other friends did. Save for Cas. This was kind of like their first date…with unsuspecting friends.

            The movie started and Dean was intrigued within the first couple of minutes. Of course it was a shitty horror flick, but he really enjoyed those. Cas kept huffing a laugh under his breath at the stupid things, but Dean caught him jumping once or twice.

            He slipped his hand underneath the arm of the chair and poked Cas’s thigh. Cas looked at him, and Dean’s eyes motioned to his hand. Cas seemed to understand what Dean was implying. He dropped his hand down from his knee and folded their fingers together. Dean brought his gaze up and Cas grinned at him.

            When the movie was coming down from it’s climax, Benny nudged Dean in the shoulder. Dean turned to him, surprised, since Benny was never one to interrupt a film.

            “You two sealed the deal then?” Benny questioned him.

            Dean followed his friend’s gaze to his and Cas’s intertwined hands and blushed. He turned back to Benny.

            “Um…yes. Don’t say anything yet, please,” Dean whispered back. Benny winked at him.

            “Course not, brother,” Benny replied. Dean smiled serenely at him and turned back to the movie.

+

 

            “I thought it was actually pretty good for a horror film,” Jo said as they all were walking back to the car. “The cinematography was on point.”

            “Eh, I thought it was kinda shitty. You could see the ending coming from a mile away,” Charlie said, offering up her opinion.

            “Yeah, but that’s what make those movies so great,” Jo told her.

            “True.” Charlie climbed into Benny’s truck. Dean hopped into the bed, holding out a hand for Cas. Cas used the tire to hoist himself up.

            “I thought it was fantastic. The chick in there was hot and the monster was gruesome. You know, the one guy was totally underdeveloped and deserved better and the main characters totally left him out of everything. He was so important!” Gabriel said.

            Benny leaned against the truck. “Yeah. The writing was pretty good, but they killed off so many unnecessary characters.”

            Charlie leaned out the window, her phone in hand. “DUDES! The writers of that movie are doing the new TV show of Supernatural!”

            Dean furrowed his brow. “What’s that?”

            Charlie scoffed. “Oh, come on. Those books I read. About the two brothers and the monsters.”

            Dean huffed a laugh. “Great. Then be prepared for unnecessary deaths and a character that deserves better than what they write. At least their monsters will be pretty good.”

            Charlie shrugged. “They might not write the way they wrote for this movie.”

            “True, but how many people veer off their stylistic ways?” Dean offered. Charlie sighed and ducked her head back into the truck, mumbling something about a 'party pooper'. Benny knocked on the metal and hopped in himself.

            Gabriel lay down next to Dean. “I’ve read those books, too. They’d better make the Trickster fuckin’ awesome cuz he was my favorite.”

+

 

            Due to the damned thunderstorm that decided to roll in with a butt load of rain, everyone was forced into cabin fever rather than a nice, warm campfire. Gabriel made some homemade cookies for a snack and they all settled down in the living room to watch a movie.

            When it ended, it was still young in the night (at least for them), and they all decided to play some good old truth or dare. Dean absolutely hated playing with Jo because she went all out. However, he couldn’t chicken out so he resulted to sitting by Cas and Jo in hopes she would overlook him while playing.

            The game started off easy- everyone basically picked truth and the questions were simple enough. They didn’t reveal anything too informative about anyone.

            Finally, the truths switched to dares when the tipsy Gabriel decided he’d be the first to grow some balls.

            “Dare,” he said, knocking back the rest of his drink. Dean smirked at him.

            “I dare you to…” Dean looked around the room and decided there wasn’t anything too interesting for him there. “I dare you to go skinny dipping in the lake.”

            Gabriel waggled his eyebrows and stood up, pulling his sweatshirt over his head. “Dean-o,” he said, voice muffled by the fabric. “Getting feisty on me, aren’t you?”

            Dean grunted in response. Gabriel smirked and headed outside, the rest of the group following to the porch. Gabriel continued down the stairs and to the lakeside, stripped down, and then cannonballed into the water as the rain poured down. Hannah headed into the cabin to turn on the fire for his return, and everyone else laughed and clapped as Gabriel did a bow on the dock after hopping up on it. He grabbed his clothes, putting on his pants as he trekked back up the hill.

            Everyone clapped Gabriel on the back for being a good sport and then headed inside. The fire was blazing, and after Gabriel put on his boxers, he went to sit by it.

            “Nice goin’, Gabe. I thought you’d call chicken on that one,” Dean said truthfully. Gabe shook his head.

            “Uh uh. I never call chicken,” Gabriel replied, cracking open another beer. “Alright, my turn. Let’s see. Who’s gonna be my next victim?”

            Gabriel wondered his eyes around the room. “Ah, little Cassie.”

            Cas rolled his eyes. “Truth.”

            “Awe, you’re no fun,” Gabriel said. He placed a hand on his beard to think. “Okay, so kind of truth. Take different attributes from each of us to make the perfect person you’d do it with.”

            Cas raised an eyebrow. “That’s ridiculous. That isn’t even a truth.”

            Gabriel shrugged. “Kinda is. You tell the truth about what you like from each person the most, so, y’know.”

            Cas sighed and looked around the room. Dean’s heart beat fast.

            “Charlie’s humor,” Cas started off. Charlie saluted him. “Hannah’s loyalty.”

            Hannah smiled at him and Gabe sighed. “Cassie, I meant, like, attributes. Like, Jo’s hair and Benny’s smile and Charlie’s build and what not.”

            Cas pointed at him. “You never said that. And let me continue, please. You have no idea what I am going to say.”

            Gabriel held his hands up in defeat and leaned in closer to the fire.

            “Gabriel’s fearlessness,” Cas added. Gabe nodded in agreement. Cas turned to Jo.

            “Jo’s fierceness.” Jo stuck out her tongue and made a ‘rock on’ sign with her hand. “Benny’s tranquil demeanor.”

            Cas turned to Dean, and his heart beat fast and his ears grew hot.

            “Dean’s eyes and general personality,” Cas answered quickly, not moving his eyes from Dean’s.

            Benny cleared his throat, and Cas returned his gaze to the circle. “Um…my turn, right?” He stuttered.

            Charlie nodded slowly, a suspicious look on her face.

            “Um…Benny.”

            Benny pursed his lips in thought. “Dare.”

            “Thank you!” Gabe exclaimed from his corner.

            Cas secretly pinched Dean, and he turned to him. “I dare you and Jo to make out.”

            Yeah, it was childish, Dean thought, but he knew what Cas was doing. Earlier on in the summer, he’d informed Cas about Charlie’s bet. Apparently, he really wanted Dean to get the money.

            Benny turned to Jo without blinking and pulled her in fast. Their lips fell into place, and Jo clung to the fabric on Benny’s strong shoulders as she deepened their kiss. Dean turned to Charlie. He was going to win.

            In fact, he kind of already won. Their lip lock ceased to end, and everyone in the room was laughing at them and how they literally would not stop to even breathe.

            Benny pulled away once, standing up. He held out his hand for Jo, his face red and lips quirked up into a smile. Jo’s hair was standing up in places. She took his hand and Benny cleared his throat so it wouldn’t sound weak.

            “Uh, I think we’re gonna call it,” he said simply, his drawl cracking in places. Jo giggled and they both rushed into the far back rooms where they were staying. They heard the slam of the door in the back and Gabriel clapped.

            “Go for it, Benny!” He yelled, his voice slurring at points.

            Everyone was shocked, but they had smiles on their faces, surprised at how extremely blatant the two were about liking each other.

            Dean held out his hand to Charlie and smirked. “I think Benjamin belongs to me now, sweetheart,” he said. Charlie scoffed and pulled out two twenties and a ten.

            “Alright, Hamilton and Jackson will do just fine,” Dean told her, stuffing the cash in his pocket.

            Everyone watched the exchange curiously, and Hannah cleared her throat.

            “Since Benny left, whose turn is it to ask a question?” she asked. Gabriel pointed to her.

            “You are, since you were next to Benny. Fair enough?” Gabriel asked. She nodded.

            “Charlie, truth or dare?”

            “Dare,” Charlie said, smiling at Hannah genuinely.

            “I dare you to change clothes with Gabriel.”

            Gabriel dropped his eyes to his boxers. “That’ll be interesting.

            Charlie pulled off her shirt and threw it at Gabe. He put it on, the picture of Leia stretching out. Her sports bra had a picture of Groot on it, and Dean wondered where in the hell one could get that. Charlie threw her pants at Gabriel, and Gabe headed to the bathroom to put them on, throwing his boxers out the door for Charlie to take.

            “Just letting you know,” Gabriel began while walking out of the bathroom in capri-looking Chewbacca pants, “I’m totally freeballing it here.”

            “Trust me,” Charlie said, eyeing him up and down, “we can tell.”

            Gabriel smirked and sat back down by the fire.

            “Looks like tonight I’ll be wearing my Ariel pajamas,” Charlie said, grimacing a little at Gabriel adjusting himself.

            “Might be a good idea,” he replied.

            Charlie didn’t even stop to think before she said, “Dean.”

            “Yeah?”

            “Truth or dare?”

            Dean didn’t know what would be worse with Charlie. If looks could kill, he’d be dead by now. She was obviously choosing this time to be her payback for the money and quite possibly for him finding out about her and Hannah before she decided to inform him. Truth could be something pretty bad with her, and dare could be even worse. He’d have to choose. Besides, he could always chicken out even though he was extremely against chicken.

            “Dare,” Dean said, though it came out as more of a question.

            Charlie licked her lips, staring at him. She smirked. “I dare you to kiss Cas.”

            “Doing a lot of kissing tonight, aren’t we?” Dean questioned, smirking. Charlie shrugged.

            “I dunno. You were pretty adamant that Cas was your nerdy little friend.”

            “He is,” Dean said. He turned to Cas. “Prepare yourself.”

            He leaned in, smiling, and met Cas halfway. It was different than their other kisses, but it was probably because there was someone watching and this time they knew. Dean rested his forehead against Cas’s, closing his eyes, and Cas slowly pressed into his mouth. Dean slid his hand up Cas’s chest and then they pulled away from each other.

            Dean turned back to their group. “My turn?”

            Charlie’s eyes were wide and Gabriel was staring at them, his beer bottle halfway to his mouth. Hannah was grinning wildly.

            “What?” Dean questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

            Charlie shook her head, coming out of her reverie. She smiled. “Nothing. Yes, it’s your turn.”

+

 

            After the game was over, Gabriel threw Charlie’s pajamas in the washer and Charlie gave him his boxers back. Gabe was exhausted so he went to his room straight after. Hannah and Charlie decided to stay out in the living room to watch some TV, and Dean and Cas were going to retire to their room to do whatever they so chose.

            Cas said goodnight to the two girls, climbing up the ladder. Dean stayed back to finish brushing his teeth while semi-watching the episode of FRIENDS the girls were watching.

            Charlie noticed him standing there so she stood up and rounded the couch to talk to him. She pushed him into the bathroom and shut the door. Dean’s eyes widened and he spit his toothpaste into the sink.

            “Hello,” he said, confused.

            “You and Cas?”

            “What?” Dean questioned her, turning to look in the mirror.

            “You and Cas? Come on, Dean. You don’t just kiss someone like that.”

            “Like what?”

            “Like the way you did. Jesus, that was the most loving kiss I’ve ever seen. Like,” Charlie was gesticulating wildly, “Benny and Jo, that was pure sex and hunger. Trust me, I know what I’m about. Yours and Cas’s was just…pure love.”

            Dean sighed. Charlie pointed at him and jumped.

            “Ha!” She exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. “You and Cas! There’s something, isn’t there?”

            Dean turned and leaned against the sink. “I guess I did find out about you and Hannah,” he muttered. “Yeah, Cas and I are together. It’s just fun. I don’t know what will come of it, but Cas likes me and I like him, even though he’s still that loser I’ve known all these years. We’re kind of just going with the flow.”

            Charlie pulled Dean into a hug. “Same with me and Hannah. Dean, that’s great.”

            Dean pulled her away a little and kissed the top of her head. “Thanks Charlie. Benny knows already. He saw me and Cas kissing on the dock the other day. You can tell Hannah. Cas and I will have to break the news to Gabriel and Jo soon, but please don’t tell them yet. Cas is still trying to…he’s figuring out all this stuff. I know what he’s going through.”

            “So do I,” Charlie said, smiling. “I won’t say anything. I promise.” She pulled Dean into another hug and then left the bathroom with a joyful grin on her face.

            Dean washed his face in the sink and then headed up the ladder.

            “Goodnight Hannah and Charlie.”

            “Night,” they said in sync.

+

 

            “So it’s between _Stand by Me_ and _The Breakfast Club._ Which one are you up for?”

            Cas shrugged. “I haven’t seen either. You did tell me I needed to watch _The Breakfast Club,_ though.”

            Dean nodded. “True. Judd Nelson it is.” He took the VHS tape from its case and pushed it into the player. He had to rewind it, so they sat on Dean’s bed, waiting. Cas was on his phone, texting his parents something, and Dean was attempting not to look. He was curious.

            The tape player made a loud clicking noise, indicating the beginning, so Dean pressed play. Cas pulled the covers over himself and Dean scooted in next to him, propping the pillows up so they were comfortable.

            “Cas,” Dean began when the theme song came up and shots of random school objects started transitioning on the screen.

            “Yes?” Cas turned to him.

            “Charlie could tell we were together,” Dean told him, his eyes locking with Cas’s. “I confirmed it with her. I also told her she could tell Hannah. You’re okay with that, right?”

            Cas nodded. “Of course.”

            “Benny knows, too,” Dean added, and the T in Cas’s forehead scrunched up.

            “How so?”

            “He saw us making out on that dock the other day,” Dean explained. Cas chuckled.

            “I guess we weren’t being too careful, were we?”

            Dean shook his head. “No, but Benny won’t say anything. Just Jo and Gabe don’t know. I told Charlie not to tell them.”

            Cas nodded. “I will inform Gabriel soon. I’m becoming…comfortable with this,” Cas said, scooting in closer to Dean.

            “Good,” Dean said. “I’m glad.”

            Cas reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled paper. “What is the worst experience you’ve ever had?”

            He held out Dean’s question to him and used the old remote to pause the movie as the nerd in the movie began talking.

            “The worst experience I ever had was at the beginning of high school,” Cas began, reaching for Dean’s fingers. He clasped their hands together. “I was bullied a lot by some tough assholes and sporty jocks. They made fun of my sweaters and the way I looked and dressed and how scrawny I was. I was bullied bad, Dean.” Cas lifted up the side of his shirt, and Dean looked down, the lamplight hitting it just right so Dean could see a scar going up his side.

            “That was from a knife. One of the guys beating me up was drunk and didn’t really know what he was doing. I’m still unsure as to how I got out of that one because I passed out, but point is, I was bullied physically.” Cas sighed. “On top of the bullying at my school, my parents were pushing me to be a certain way and telling me how to live my life and who I could be friends with and…well, you know the rest. Live traditionally and with rules.

            “Well, I lost all my good friends that way because they got into the high school scene and my parents didn’t want me to be that way. I could hang out with Hannah, and that was it. I was constantly being bullied…every single day. They’d steal my sweaters and burn them or throw them away and whatnot. I'd quit wearing sweaters and they’d find something else to make fun of. That school year I was the most depressed I’d ever been in my life. I planned on...”

            Dean let out a shaky breath. “Cas…” his voice broke.

            “Well, I never went through with anything, obviously,” Cas said, a tear running down his cheek. “I just had a lot of bad thoughts. Like when I got bullied here.”

            Dean squeezed his hand. “Anyway, that summer was my favorite summer. That was the summer we were in the same bonding session five times. You didn’t talk to me a whole lot since Benny was with you, but you were always nice to me. I remember you helping me during one of the sessions, giving me advice and such. You also walked me back to my cabin one night because we were having a conversation about Captain America. Dean, I thought that summer was going to be the worst of my life, but it turned out it was the best. Well, until now.”

            Dean swallowed a lump in his throat.

            “You sort of saved me that summer.”

            Dean turned his attention to the TV and Cas rolled his eyes, pulling Dean close to him, their mouths barely touching. Dean whispered, “You don’t think those things now, do you?”

            Cas shook his head, pressing his lips to Dean in a close-mouthed kiss. He pulled away. “No. The next school year I worked really hard and gained some muscle and joined the track team. I learned how to fight, and, well, you basically know the rest. I beat up some guy and they stayed away from me. I could wear my sweaters again,” Cas said, grinning.

            “God, I love your sweaters, Cas,” Dean said, airily. He leaned in again and pressed his lips to Cas’s, opening his mouth. Cas tasted like toothpaste and sweetness and Dean couldn’t help but to pull Cas in closer to him so they were flat against each other.

            “Thank you for telling me, Cas,” Dean whispered, pulling away.

            “Absolutely,” Cas answered. “By the way, you still owe me a whole bunch of questions that need answering.”

            “I’ll get right on that. After we watch this movie or let it run while I kiss you like I mean it,” Dean said, confidence pouring out of his mouth. Cas chuckled.

            “Sounds like a deal.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done, guys! Enjoy!

            Dean was fairly sure fate was real because as fate would have it, he and Cas had free time again. Okay, so either fate was real or Bobby was kind of catching on to Dean and Cas. Either way, they were together again and Dean was super excited. The weather this week was perfect: mid-70’s. That meant a lot of water activities and a whole lot of fun.

            It was Tuesday and Dean was taking his group of ten years olds to breakfast. Dean wanted time to move faster because on this particular day, he and Cas had water activities together. Cas had elevens this week, but since the two of their groups were similar in age, they had quite a bit together.

            Dean was just excited because they decided they’d both take their groups to the boating station and go kayaking.

            Dean served up his breakfast, saluting Gabriel as he passed by. He veered straight for their designated table and greeted Charlie, Jo and Benny, who were already scarfing down their food.

            “Morning Dean,” Jo greeted. She threw a piece of her muffin at him.

            “Hey! What was that for?” Dean asked her, sitting down.

            “Don’t worry, Charlie got it too,” Benny said. Dean raised an eyebrow.

            “You guys were betting on me getting with Benny!” Jo exclaimed. Dean smirked.

            “Yeah, it was fun. Good bet. Did Charlie tell you I won?” Dean nudged Charlie in the shoulder and she scowled.

            “Yes. Thank you for at least having a little faith,” Jo said, stuffing her mouth with muffin.

            “Dean? Faith? Psht,” Cas said, sitting down right by Dean. Dean looked up at him, his eyes widening with happiness. He loved morning Cas. Ugly sweater, sweatpants or shorts, and his Birkenstocks with his large framed glasses and sex hair, mussed every which way.

            “Hey now,” Dean replied, his eyes following the younger man as he sat down. “I have some faith.”

            “Do you?”

            “Yes. Of the non-religion kind,” Dean added. Cas rolled his eyes and Dean winked at him.

            Hannah joined them not a minute later, and they all snarfed down their hearty breakfasts while conversing about stupid shit they’d never remember or care about two days from now; things veering from farting to stuff they learned in history in the 4th grade.

            After breakfast, Dean and Cas met up with their groups, counting heads to make sure everyone was there and accounted for, and then they trekked through a trail that led down to the boating station.

            Each kid had to have a life jacket and they each got in a two-seater kayak and headed out onto the waters. The wind wasn’t too terrible today, so the water had little ripples here and there.

            Dean and Cas followed them out on their own one-seater kayaks. Dean was just happy he only had to bring a life jacket and not wear one, because he, yes Dean Winchester, was self conscious of his chub, and those things made him look like a bloated cherry (or blueberry, depending on the color).

            They conversed as they headed out into open water. The kids were all screaming and yelling so as to hear the echoes on the water. They were rowing horribly and splashing each other with water, but no one was complaining so Dean assumed they were all having fun.

            He and Cas, on the other hand, glided quietly and serenely over the water, talking about nothing and everything and their friends and things they wanted to do. Dean considered it his second date. They were alone, save for the squealing kiddos ahead of them, and they were talking and getting to know one another, sans kissing while they did.

            “Guys!” Cas yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth. Dean couldn't help but to smile at him. From this angle, Cas was all lit up and gorgeous and hot. He was wearing his aviator sunglasses. His hair still messed up on his head. He wore a t-shirt that wasn’t clinging to him, but wasn’t too baggy either. It showed off how proportional and lean and muscular he was. His smile topped it off.

            “Guys! Let’s head back to shore, alright? We’re pretty far out!” Cas finished.

            “Yeah, let’s make a race out of it. First one back gets a jolly rancher!” Dean yelled. Cas turned to Dean.

            “You have seriously got to stop bribing them with jolly ranchers. You don’t even give them the blue color and that’s the best kind,” Cas told him. He flicked water up at Dean with his paddle. Dean wiped the droplets off his face and flipped Cas off, some kids ‘oohing’.

            “Exactly. That’s why I save them for me. The blue are all mine!” Dean said, pushing off Cas’s boat using his paddle. Cas’s kayak floated to the side, and Dean started paddling, left, right, left, right as fast as he could.

            “Hey!”

            “I’m winning!” Dean yelled back, not turning around. He heard splashes coming from Cas’s paddle and Dean started rowing faster.

            A couple of kids passed Dean, but they were not who he was racing. The kids were screaming and splashing wildly, and Dean rode their small waves coming from the paddle. He dared to turn around once and Cas was gaining on him quickly, his rowing swift and easy.

            Dean was physically incapable of paddling even more so than he was doing now. He was breathing hard, his arms were burning, and his abs were even aching a little.

            Cas floated on by, gliding over the water elegantly, like people skating over ice. He had a toothy smile on his face as he passed, waving at Dean while sweat glistened on his brow and his lungs burned, aching for oxygen.

            Dean gave up. He slowed down and stared at Cas’s back as he slowly grew smaller and smaller in his view.

            “Alright!” Dean yelled, puffing out air. “I’ll catch up!”

            He sat there for a moment, letting his lungs fill up, and then he slowly rowed back in. He’d get Cas back. He smirked.

            All the kayaks were congregated in one area. Cas told them to wait for Dean, so they all splashed each other with the paddles and talked to the neighbors in the boat next to them. Cas waited on the outskirts, looking back at Dean.

            Dean sidled up right next to Cas, leaning forward and resting his arms against his knees.

            “Jesus Christ that takes a lot out of a person,” Dean pointed out. He huffed a breath. “Nice going there, Speedy Gonzalez.”

            Cas smiled back at him. “You going to be okay?”

            “Only with a little revenge,” Dean commented under his breath.

            “Huh?”

            Dean pressed his paddle into Cas’s body and pushed, and the top-heavy side dipped in the water and Cas fell in. Dean burst out into laughter and Cas came up, taking a deep breath. His sunglasses had water droplets on them, and his hair stuck to his forehead and neck.

            “Oh, you ass….butthole!” Cas exclaimed, correcting himself in front of the children.

            “Cas, keep it PG!” Dean exclaimed. The kids all laughed with Dean while Cas swam over to him.

            “Uh uh, no you don’t,” Dean said, poking Cas with his paddle. He should’ve known that was a pretty bad idea. People gain their common sense around three years old, and Dean was 18 so he should have known that Cas was going to simply yank on the paddle, pulling him forward and head first into the water.

            The kids were all laughing maniacally. Dean sucked in a deep breath and shook his head to get the excess water off of him. Cas swam over to him and fisted his wet t-shirt.

            “Just had to get you back,” Cas said. Dean smirked and so wanted to kiss him right now, but due to past experiences he pulled away, still smiling, and clung to his boat.

            “Let’s just swim these back. We have break anyway,” Dean said. Cas nodded from his own boat and they both followed the kids to shore.

+

 

            Wednesday night was the best. One night of the year Bobby put on a picnic and sleepover in the big field. The big field was this (obviously) gigantic field where everyone played games like Mad Cow and Bear, Fish, Cockroach. The picnic had all the essentials: burgers, hot dogs, watermelon, brownies, cookies etc. etc.

            After all the festivities of the day, every single group headed to the big field for the picnic. Gabriel had been working all day to get everything set up and cooked, and kids crowded the picnic tables to fill their paper plates with fantastic food. Everyone spread out on the field in small groups and ate their food.

            Dean and Cas walked over together since they’d just gotten off of break. The walk was fairly short, and both of them were starving after an intense game of, get this, dominoes.

            They conversed with Gabriel for a minute and then filled their plates and found their gang.

            Charlie and Hannah had bonding together this week, so bonding they were. They were holding hands while they ate, and Dean didn’t understand how comfortable eating one handed could be. Benny and Jo were cuddling together, too. Now that they were established, it was all hands with them. As of now, Jo was lying in Benny’s lap while eating her watermelon and Benny looked down at her, chewing on his brownie.

            “Look at all you cutesie couples,” Dean pointed out, sitting crisscross next to Cas.

            “Hey, you two could be all cutesie, too,” Charlie said, and instantly she covered her mouth. Dean swallowed.

            Jo furrowed her brow and turned her head so she was staring at them sideways.

            “Huh?” she asked.

            Dean had absolutely no idea what to say.

            “Oh, yeah,” Cas said, biting into his hot dog. “Jo, Dean and I are together as well. It appears no one in our group is single and,” Cas brought his fingers up to use air quotes, “ready to mingle.”

            Dean snorted and Jo made a ‘rock on’ sign. “Sweet. Good for you guys. Dean was crushing on you for so long anyway, he might have burst if nothing happened,” Jo said simply, her attention back on her watermelon.

            Dean blushed and Cas nudged him. “She lies.”

            “Actually, she’s the most truthful out of everyone here,” Cas said.

            “I am. It’s a gift,” Jo added. Dean rolled his eyes and took a bite out of his burger.

            “To be honest,” Jo said, swallowing, “people probably think we’re like an orgy group anyway. Hannah and Charlie are always being flirty and close, and now Benny and me are all close.” She looked up at Benny and he winked down at her. “And Dean and Cas have all these deep, conversational eye looks and shit, so if people looked at our group, they’d probably think we’re all sleeping with each other.”

            “Okay guys,” Cas said, smiling, “let’s all get washed up for the orgy.”

            Dean flicked a pickle seed at Cas and Charlie yelled, “Gross Cas!” and Benny couldn’t stop laughing.

            Dean reveled in the moment. He wanted to remember the nostalgia of being here and being with his friends, both old and new. He wanted to remember Cas’s smile and lively eyes and Benny’s grumble of a laugh and Jo’s golden, flowing hair over her pale skin. He wanted to remember Charlie’s freckles and joking and Hannah’s gentleness.

            He didn’t know how long it would last. Sure, there’d be another summer, but they’d each find something else to occupy their time. Dean was going to Kansas U, and Charlie was going all the way to Colorado. Benny wasn’t going to college, but he was working at a car shop and enjoying it. Jo still had a year of high school and then she’d be off somewhere else. And Cas…Cas was so smart; sometimes Dean wondered if Cas was partly dumb because he was Dean’s boyfriend. In fact, out of all the getting to know each other they’d done, Dean still wasn’t sure what Cas was going to do for school. He was obviously going to school. God, Dean had no idea where he was going and summer would be over in a month and a half. He was in this with a blind eye.

            He had to remember these times, because even if they never remembered him when they had kids and families and jobs, Dean would always remember them.

            As if Cas knew he was somber, the younger boy leaned in to Dean’s ear. “Are you okay?”

            Dean mustered up a smile and nodded. “I’m good.”

            Cas raised an eyebrow but left it at that. They all indulged themselves in a deep conversation about old TV shows like the Rugrats and Hey Arnold!.

+

 

            After a nice, big campfire and a filling second dessert of smores, everyone went up to their cabins to pack their sleeping bags and put on their pajamas and brush their teeth before heading back to the big field for bed. Dean and Cas brushed their teeth outside the cabin, watching as the boys raced down the hell hill to the bathrooms, pajama bottom cuffs clumping with dirt at their heels.

            “Remember when we were all hyper little boys excited to be sleeping out under the stars?” Dean asked Cas, foam falling out of his mouth and dribbling onto his chin.

            Cas reached out a hand and slid his finger across the mess, wiping it on Dean’s shirt. “What do you mean 'when'? I’m giddy now,” Cas said. Dean pushed on his shoulder and spit into the dirt.

            “Are we sleeping together tonight?” Dean asked, voice rising in sarcastic seduction.

            Cas rolled his eyes. “If you call lying on a tarp in separate sleeping bags near 300 other people sleeping together, why yes, Dean, we are,” Cas said, following Dean with some spit of his own.

            “Are you wearing your cute little dinosaur jammies?” Dean said, voice octave getting higher.

            Cas rolled his eyes. “Of course, Dean, just for you.”

            Dean wasn’t kidding. Cas had these dinosaur pajamas with a long neck dinosaur on the t-shirt and triceratops and t-rex and long necks on the worn out pants. They were Dean’s favorite. Cas wore them for four years now, and Dean remembered the first time he saw them on Cas- the last big field sleep over. He made Cas blush when he pointed out the orange triceratops placed directly over his crotch area.

“You’d better be or you’re sleeping by Jo, and she snores.”

“I know. I can hear her from the attic in Charlie’s cabin,” Cas said. “Note to self, always fall asleep before Jo.”

Dean smirked and they both sat on chairs on Cas’s porch to wait for the campers to come back.

They all did in a timely manner of forty minutes. By then, Dean and Cas had a pretty good game of ‘what are the odds’ going, and already Dean had to wear crocs on the first day of campers arriving next week and one of Cas’s sweaters. Cas, on the other hand, had to go up and boop Crowley on the nose. He was good at the luck game. That was all he had to do.

“Ya’ll ready to go?” Dean questioned both groups and they all whooped in excitement, their sleeping bags under their arms.

Dean stayed in the back of the herd while Cas led them over to the big field. At night, it grew fairly dark and the big field was through a large grouping of trees. It reminded Dean a lot of the Forbidden Forest in _Harry Potter._

“OH MY GOD!” Dean shouted. The group turned around and some kid named Nick dropped his sleeping bag, screaming. Dean curled up in laughter, holding his stomach while some kids chuckled and others glared at him. Cas shot him a warning look and Dean winked at him.

“Oh, I got you guys good,” Dean said, wiping a tear from his eye. “Sorry. Continue.”

Yeah, it was a dick move, but Dean got a great laugh out of it.

 

+

 

            The cool thing about campout was the lack of supervision and the greatness of sleeping next to whomever, even if it was far away from cabin mates. Dean’s group split up, some of Cas’s group joining them. They all wanted to be near the trees so they walked to the far side of the big ass tarp. Dean and Cas veered away from the large blue structure. There was another smaller one set aside by the picnic tables. This was where counselors were supposed to sleep, but most of them stayed on the big tarp near or with their cabin groups or even slept in the grass. Dean was not one for the cold, dewy morning, though. At night it got down to forty degrees and he always seemed to wake up before the daylight.

            Benny and Charlie were already on the camper tarp, sitting up in their sleeping bags and talking. There were a couple of other counselors on the tarp, but Dean paid them no mind and set his sleeping bag near the other two.

            “What are we talking about?” Dean questioned them.

            “Starting a farm and moving away from society.”

            “Ah, where do I sign up?” Dean questioned, laying his sleeping bag on the tarp. Cas joined him, sitting on top of it with his dinosaur clad legs crisscross.

+

 

            Charlie and Hannah were conversing in hushed tones about their future. They were talking about how things change after summer, and maybe they weren’t supposed to last, but for now they were in the honeymoon faze and they didn’t want to let that go. Hannah informed Charlie that she wasn’t planning on going to college yet, so she would go to Colorado to see what it was all about and maybe attend some classes to see if she would go. She had a hard time with people and Charlie wanted her to get the feel of the college life, which was basically that no one cares.

            Dean looked up at the sky, wishing he could ask Cas the same question. What was going to happen to them? Cas must have been overhearing them, too, because his bright blue eyes were reflecting the full moon and stars and he was all ears with his hands crossed behind his head. Maybe that was the thing, though. Maybe Cas didn’t want to ask Dean about his future. Maybe he was in denial of it ever coming, same as Dean. Maybe he was one of those people that live in the moment. That was one thing Dean loved about being with Cas; they were always on the same page, even if they didn’t say anything. Dean could tell when Cas was agitated; when to step back and when to engage him and see if he was alright. Cas knew when to calm Dean down or to humor him. They spoke with their eyes and Dean wondered if maybe Cas knew Dean really didn’t want to talk about college, even though that’s all he could think about.

            Cas scooted closer to Dean as if he understood Dean wanted comfort. He pulled his hand from his sleeping bag and reached down Dean’s, holding his hand. Dean smiled warmly at him, his eyes thanking him.

            “Gross,” Jo said, looking at Cas’s mysteriously placed hand as she laid her sleeping bag next to her brand new beau.

            “Oh, Cas, don’t stop,” Dean said extremely blandly. Jo bitch faced at him and sat down. Dean looked back up at the stars.

            “Have you seen Sam lately?” Dean asked Cas quietly. Cas turned to him.

            “Yes, actually. I stopped and talked with him today.” Dean cocked his eyebrow up, interested. “We crossed paths and I asked him how he was doing. Apparently him and Jess are boyfriend and girlfriend with miles between them, and he’s doing okay. Your mom invited her over for Thanksgiving…or was it Halloween? I don’t know. He’s happy. He likes his cabin mates this go around, and he’s been enjoying himself. He asked how you were doing and I told him you were well. He said he’ll sit with us at lunch sometime this week.”

            “Oh, good,” Dean said, smirking. “Gotta do my big brotherly duties and hound him about his girlfriend and such.”

            “That’s mean,” Cas told him.

            “Eh, to each his own.” He squeezed Cas’s hand.

            They both stared at the stars in silence. Charlie and Hannah were now quiet, and Dean assumed they were both asleep. Benny and Jo were whispering to each other, but for the most part the night had gone silent. The air was still and since the lake was too far away to hear, there was absolutely no sound. Cas still had his fingers intertwined with Deans, and they were sitting in a comfortable silence. Dean knew his boyfriend was awake because he’d occasionally look at him in his peripheral just to watch the moonlight bathe his pale, angular face and reflect off his eyes.

            “Come Josephine on my flying machine,” Dean sang. Cas chuckled.

            “No _Titanic,_ Dean,” Cas whispered, pressing against his side.

            “I’m so glad you got that reference. It’s my favorite romance.”

            “I think it’s moreso a tragedy than a romance.”

            “Well, you’re just looking at the history aspect of it,” Dean offered. Cas rolled his eyes and leaned in, pecking Dean on the cheek with his dry lips. Dean blushed and he could tell Cas could see the pink on his cheeks because he smirked.

            Cas played with his fingertips inside Dean’s sleeping bag, and Dean was almost lulled to sleep by the soft monotony of it. He was extremely relaxed and warm snuggled up to Cas’s bag.

            When he opened his heavy eyelids one last time before fading out, he saw Cas above him, leaning down to kiss his lips chastely.

            “Good night, Dean,” he whispered sweetly. Dean was head over heels in…

            “Night,” Dean slurred with sleep.

+

 

            “POLAR BEAR!!!!!!!!!!” Jo screamed right above Dean. He stirred, groaning. His eyes were heavy lidded and his limbs were not ready to move. The air was chilly and dampness caked the tarp underneath everyone. Dean looked at his watch. 5:30. Fuuuuuuck.

            Cas opened his eyes next to Dean and they were bloodshot from lack of sleep. They’d only fallen asleep four hours ago.

            “POLAR BEAR!!!!! LET’S GO EVERYONE!!!!!” Jo yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. “MEET IN THIRTY MINUTES! SWIMMING SUITS ON AND BODIES READY!”

            “I’m going to kill her,” Cas grumbled, his voice sleepy gravel.

            “If you fail, I’ll continue your work,” Dean muttered, closing his eyes against the pillow.

            “Jo, if you don’t shut the fuck up in two seconds, I will slay you,” Charlie said, angrily.

            “Or she’ll beat us to it,” Dean said, staring at the black of his eyelids. Cas huffed a laugh and they both fell asleep again for probably five minutes before they heard conversing and rustling as people got up and walked past them back to the cabins. Dean cracked one eye open and almost everyone was up and at em. Ugh. He was not in the mood today.

            He forced himself to sit up and he cracked his eyes open, the sun instantly hurting them.

            “Cas,” Dean said, shaking him, “if we don’t wake up, we’re gonna be left here.”

            “M’okay with that,” Cas told him, pressing his face into his pillow.

            “Come on, loser,” Dean said, pulling on his arm. Cas groaned and turned over, opening one eye and squinting against the light.

            “Why did anyone think this would be a good idea?”

            “I don’t know, man. Let’s head back and I’ll make us some coffee. Sound good?” Dean asked him. Cas nodded and smiled, his eyes closed again.

            “Homemaker,” he mumbled. Dean rolled his eyes and stood up, struggling to gain his balance on weak legs. He leaned down and gripped Cas’s biceps. Cas halfheartedly held onto Dean’s and then he helped him to his feet. He then leaned his head against Dean’s shoulder and Dean rubbed his back.

            “Wakey wakey,” Dean said in his ear. He blinked his eyes and they stung with lack of sleep. “C’mon Cas, let’s get you caffeinated up.”

            Cas pulled away and grabbed his sleeping stuff. He let it drag against the wet ground as they walked back at a moderate pace. Dean was still blinking back sleep. He really needed coffee.

            Cas came over to his cabin while all the kids dressed in their swimming trunks, ready to take on the wicked cold waters of six in the morning. They were running around, full energy. Dean wanted them to tone it down a bit while he controlled his lack of sleep with a little pill called caffeine. Cas leaned against the windowsill, sipping his straight black coffee. Dean thought he looked beautiful silhouetted against the backdrop of trees and bright sunlight. The lake could be seen too, and Cas was just a black shape, his features barely able to make out from the angle Dean was sitting in.

            Eventually the caffeine set in and Dean was ready and pumped for the day. Cas seemed to be about there, too, and they felt like it was a good idea to put on their swim trunks and do the polar bear swim.

            It was not a good idea. Everyone lined up against the water’s shore, towels at the ready on the ground. It was still a chilly morning- fifty-eight degrees- and everyone had their arms crossed, shivering.

            Crowley was on the dock dressed in all black and he was smirking. “Alright everyone,” he said, his British accent extra dismal today. “Polar bear swim commences now. Whoever stays in the longest receives a prize. On your marks, get set, GO!”

            Dean and Cas screamed and ran into the freezing waters. From a little to their left, Hannah and Charlie were holding hands and squealing when their feet hit the water.

            Dean fully jumped in, going underwater, and he instantly got a brain freeze. He came up for air, the cold hitting him square in the chest, and he yelled, “FUCK THIS!” He made for the shore and wrapped himself up with his towel. He shivered, sitting on a rock and watching Cas. He was treading water, his hair wet and clinging to his face and his mouth was chattering pretty badly. People were evacuating the waters every second, and soon there was little to no people in there.

            He could see Hannah still treading water. He wondered how such a little body could stand the cold without any fat. Then again, Cas was in there still and he was skin and bones, practically. Benny was still in, too. Dean wasn’t surprised. Benny won this thing every year. He was, like, acclimated to cold or something.

            Hannah was first of his friends to leave. Charlie held a towel open for her and wrapped it around her frail body. They headed up to the showers soon after. Dean was pretty much used to the temperature now. He’d stopped shaking and his eyes were now having a tennis match between Benny and Cas.

            Among them were a couple of other kids fighting their way through the cold.

            Some of them got out and then Cas decided he would, too. Dean picked up his towel and Cas ran for it. He helped him get it around his body, and then Cas let out a deep breath.

            “T-t-t’s freezing ou-ou-out there,” Cas said, his teeth clacking. Dean nodded.

            “C’mon let’s get you into a hot shower.”

            Cas nodded and they both headed up the small hill.

            “BENNY LAFITTE IS THE WINNER!” Crowley yelled and Dean was pretty sure he heard Jo ‘whoop’ loudly. They didn’t turn back, but Dean did wrap an arm around Cas so as to add more body heat to Cas’s freezing skin.

            They decided to go the counselor’s bathroom this time around. Luckily no one was in there, so Dean and Cas stepped into a cubicle shower together and took turns standing under the stream of heat. They stayed in their trunks since they had no clothes to change into. Once they were warm and not at risk for hypothermia, they both headed up to their cabins to get ready for the day.

+

 

            That night was super fun. Because Bobby wasn’t Mr. Strict-o, they pretty much got away with a lot of things that wouldn’t go too well had Crowley only been the owner.

            Dean would remember this night for a long time. He and Cas were bored after the fire, so Cas, using Gabriel’s repertoire for thinking, decided to pull a prank. Dean was all for it, and they both decided it’d be best to prank the girls. They decided to hit up Charlie and Hannah’s groups and then find Jo’s cabin and prank them as well. Dean called Benny, and he wanted in on it too.

            They all got their campers to dress up in the darkest clothes they had, and then they all met up at the basketball courts. In hushed tones, they figured out a plan for pranking. For Charlie’s cabin they determined they would make noises against the walls, slowly at first, and then all at once they’d knock against it. They were going to TP Hannah’s cabin, as well as knock on the door and then run away. For Jo’s group, they decided to go to the art barn to paint pictures of ridiculous things and hang them on the outside walls.

            They headed over to Charlie’s cabin. On the way there, though, a camp counselor named Pam started walking up the hill next to them.

            “Get down. On the ground!” Benny whisper yelled, and all the campers and Dean and Cas fell to the dirt, lying as flat as they could be and breathing silently. Dean’s heart sped up. Whenever he was sneaking, he always felt badass, like he was in the Hunger Games or something.

            Luckily for them, Pam was pretty much blind. She ran into this one kid who was balled up as if he was a rock. Everyone else went without being noticed as Pam headed into her cabin. Dean let out a deep breath, and Benny motioned everyone to continue.

            They got to Charlie’s and Benny, who had basically taken over this operation, told everyone to hold off on noises momentarily. Benny rapped his fingers gently against the wall. He waited a couple of seconds and did it a second time, only this time he made it louder. Dean smirked. Benny turned to the camper next to him and told him to join. At the same time, they both hit the wall. Everyone began to spread out and each time they would knock, they added a person to the knocking group. After almost half of the campers were making noise, the light turned on in Charlie’s cabin.

            “Go! Go! Behind the cabin!” Benny exclaimed. Everyone ran behind the cabin and crowded around each other. They heard the door creak open, and the groups were smirking and laughing quietly.

            “Hello?” Came Charlie’s voice.

            “Shh, shh,” Benny warned, his finger to his lips.

            They heard Charlie head back in and the lights turned off. Everyone went back to their battle stations and they added three more people. Eventually, it wound around the entire cabin, and they were knocking loudly. The lights went on again and Benny told them to run.

            They booked it to the back of the cabin and huddled together.

            “I swear to God, whoever that is, I will skin you,” Charlie said, walking out onto her porch. “Make yourself known.”

            The window above them opened and they heard a, “Charlie! There are people down there.”

            “Shit!” Cas said.

            “Go to the side, to the side,” Benny said. They all headed to the other side of the cabin just as Charlie reached the window to look down.

            “Maybe it’s a ghost,” they heard one of the campers say.

            “No, it’s not a ghost. Hold on.”

            There was a pause and then all of a sudden, Dean’s phone was blaring out a rocking guitar ringtone.

            “Fuck!” Dean exclaimed, struggling to get the phone out of his pocket to turn it to vibrate.

            “Hello, Dean,” Charlie said, leaning out the side window now. “Benny, Cas. How awfully wonderful of you to wake us up.”

            “We thought so too, sweet cheeks,” Dean said, grinning wildly.

            “Go fuck yourselves. Pardon my French, children. I swear I will kill you guys,” Charlie said.

            “Awe, hon, it was just a little fun is all,” Benny said, winking at her. “Ya’ll have a good night now.”

            Charlie flipped them off, but ultimately smiled at them. Next was Hannah.

            Everyone wiped clean (no pun intended) the toilet paper rolls in the men’s bathroom near Hannah’s cabin. They quietly scoured the cabin and threw toilet paper over the roof and porch and everything they could find. By the end, it looked like a snowed over cabin. Dean snapped a picture and everyone proudly admired their work.

            “Alright guys,” Benny said, turning to the group of almost twenty-four people. “Next is my girlfriend, Jo. Let’s hit up the art barn and draw crude pictures and funny slogans and stuff. Make sure her name is in it, too.”

            They all headed for the art barn and crowded the tables, the only light coming from their flashlights so as to not grab the attention of the supervisors or other counselors. The kids made posters using paint and colored pencils and markers and crayons and talked while they did so. Benny went around admiring the work and telling people what they should add or change.

            Dean and Cas were working at their own table. Cas had a sign that said, “Jo is a jo-ke”. It was stupid, but Dean thought it was adorable, too. Dean’s sign had an ugly drawing of Jo, a moustache and unibrow and other shit added to it to make her look terrible. Cas laughed at his, adding his own touch here and there. When Dean finished, he signed his name at the bottom.

            “I’m gonna go wash my hands.” Dean stood up from the table and headed back to the single bathroom inside the barn. He rubbed his hands together so as to get the ink and smudging off of his hands, and then he heard a knock at the door. Dean turned. Cas was leaned against the doorframe, a smirk on his face.

            “You look really, really hot in that outfit, Dean,” Cas said, his eyes wide. Dean wiped his wet hands off on his shirt.

            “You don’t look too bad yourself,” Dean offered, pulling Cas in for a kiss. Cas closed the door after him, locking it behind his back. Dean pushed him against the door then, their connected mouths not pulling away. It was dark in the bathroom, the only light coming from the full moon bathing the tiny space in it’s luminescence through the small window. Cas’s face cast shadows on one side, and Dean thought he looked absolutely gorgeous. He was even wearing a black sweater with a big old star in the middle.

            Cas pulled away from Dean a little. “Should we go back there?”

            Dean shook his head, “Can’t now.”

            He closed the space between them again, his tongue plunging straight into Cas’s mouth. He bit Cas’s bottom lip and Cas groaned. That was all Dean needed for him to become fully hard. He rut against Cas’s crotch and Cas pulled away to let out a small cry.

            “Did you just whimper?” Dean questioned in a whisper, his mouth open against Cas’s ear.

            Cas nodded and Dean pushed against him again. He grinded down on Cas. The younger boy squeezed Dean’s hair tight, and he never knew that pain could feel so good. He ran his hands underneath Cas’s scratchy sweater and made his way up his body, hands running over Cas’s abs and nipples and collar bones. Cas shivered and Dean took that as a sign to continue. He broke apart their lips and pulled Cas’s shirt over his head. Cas opened his eyes.

            “C-can yours come off, too?” Cas asked. Dean rolled his eyes and nodded.

            “Don’t get all nervous schoolboy on me now,” Dean whispered, hoarse.

            Cas reached for Dean’s shirt and pulled it over his head. Dean wasn’t aware how his previous statement would backfire on him. He felt uncomfortable. He knew he was okay looking in the torso area. He was, after all, a football player build. However, he wasn’t extremely packed with abs like Cas, and below abs came his little love handles. He also didn’t really have pecks.

            After all, Cas had never seen him shirtless before. They’d only been handsy and mouthy and came with two layers of fabric between them.

            Cas eyed Dean up and down and Dean blushed, dropping his eyes to the floor. He wasn’t sure how to go about this situation.

            Cas put his hands on Dean’s chest and he look up at him. He kissed his collarbone, and Dean shivered. “I know that look,” Cas whispered.

            Dean furrowed his eyebrows, staring straight into Cas’s blue eyes.

            Cas took Dean’s hand and brought it down to his waist almost. He curved Dean’s fingers so that Dean’s fingertips brushed against his side from back to front. He felt strips of dips in the skin and Dean let his face relax.

            “I used to be a chubby kid. I grew fast and got stretch marks. I grew to like myself the way I am, and you should too because you look absolutely beautiful,” Cas whispered, running his hands up Dean’s torso. Dean sighed.

            He loved Cas.

            Dean closed the distance between them again, cupping his hands on Cas’s cheeks. Cas pressed his hands firmly against Dean’s back, and Dean decided they needed more, so long as Cas was okay with it.

            He reached his hands down and unbuttoned Cas’s black jeans. Cas’s breath hitched and he pulled back.

            “Is-is this okay?” Dean asked him. Cas swallowed and nodded. “Are you sure?”

            “Yes,” Cas confirmed. Dean unzipped them and then pulled them down a little ways. He kissed Cas’s face as he did this; mouth, cheeks, nose, jawline, etc. Cas calmed down a little, but Dean could still feel his heart beating fast. His was too. He’d never done this before. Both of them were in this together... again.

            Dean ran his fingertips against Cas’s hips and waistband of his boxers before gripping them and pulling them down to his jeans. He waited for Cas to feel comfortable before he did anything.

            Cas swallowed and Dean waited. He knew sometimes fooling around was hard. It depended on how Cas was feeling that day- rebellious or more reserved. He still had thoughts about rights and wrongs and Dean knew not to pressure him. Cas would figure out everything in his own time.

            Cas closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. Dean waited, watching him, his heart beating fast and his downstairs waiting for friction.

            “Are,” Cas swallowed again, looking down at Dean with blown pupils, “are you gonna do something?”

            Dean couldn’t help but to let a relieved laugh escape his mouth. He looked down. He supposed this was the moment then.

            He got down on his knees and took Cas in his hand. Cas was hard and his dick was bright red, and he was obviously in the mood because when Dean grabbed him, Cas hissed and pressed a hand in Dean’s hair.

            Dean had no idea how this would go, but he was ready to try, especially with Cas. He wanted to make Cas feel good and loved, even if he hadn’t said the word aloud.

            Dean experimentally pressed his tongue to the head, and Cas hissed again. He supposed it probably wasn’t good to tease Cas when he was all hot and bothered, so he closed Cas’s dick around his mouth and took him as far as he could. He waited for a second, trying to comprehend how this felt and how things happened from here on out, and basically he got the gist.

            Dean started bobbing back and forth on him while Cas came completely undone above him. He was groaning, his head back against the wall. His hands were in Dean’s hair and from what Dean could tell he was shaking a little bit.

            Eventually, Dean pulled himself out of his pants and started stroking his own hard on to the rhythm he was going at it with Cas.

            Dean looked up through his lashes and Cas was now staring down at him, his eyes wide with a look of pure ecstasy on his face, his mouth shaped in an ‘o’. He started whispering, “Dean’s” here and there in his raspy, gravelly voice, and that wasn’t doing anything to help Dean’s boner at all. Cas was all gravel and totally wrecked, and it went straight to his dick.

            Soon the breathy 'Dean's' turned to, “Dean, I’m gonna…” and Dean didn’t have any time to pull off before Cas was coming into his mouth. Not seconds after, he was coming into his hand.

            He swallowed down all Cas had to offer, not really intending to. He figured it wasn’t so bad, and he pulled away from Cas’s spent dick. Dean stood up, wiping off his face, and looked straight at Cas.

            “Are you-?”

            “That was…” Cas huffed a laugh. “Wow.”

            Dean nodded and leaned in to kiss Cas. He knew his mouth was probably all rancid and gross, but Cas let him in, drawing him closer. Dean wiped his hand on his shirt and pulled away.

            “Um…” Dean grabbed some tissues from the box on the toilet. He handed them to Cas. “Wipe yourself down.”

            Cas did as he was told as Dean cleaned himself and the floor up. He pulled up his pants and rested his eyes on Cas again.

            “So we probably missed the prank.”

            “It was probably worth it.”

            “Definitely worth it,” Dean replied. He winked at Cas and Cas leaned in to kiss him again.

            “So, just to confirm,” Cas began, clearing his hoarse throat. “You’ve never…never done that before?”

            Dean snorted. “I’m the virginiest virgin you’ve ever seen, even though I look like I’ve banged everyone.”

            “Pretty sure that’s false. Especially the virginiest virgin part. I hadn’t even kissed anyone before you.”

            “True. Okay, you’re the virginiest virgin and I’m the the virginier virgin.” Cas nodded.

            “Now that we got that established…shower?” Dean questioned.

            “Absolutely,” Cas said. “We have to be sneaky about it though.”

            “That’s why we wore black!” Dean exclaimed. They unlocked the door slowly and stepped out into the room. Everyone was gone, so they booked it to the counselor showers to clean off, this time without any clothes. Now that they’d basically seen all of each other, no awkwardness would ensue.

            “Dean,” Cas started, scrubbing the shampoo out of his hair while Dean leaned against the shower wall waiting for his turn.

            “Hmm?”

            “I have a dog,” Cas said. “I bought him myself.”

            “Ah, answering another question I see.”

            “Yes. His name is Spock. I also have a cat,” Cas added. Dean was already laughing. “His name is Tigger.”

            “How original, Cas,” Dean told him. Cas nodded, his eyes closed under the stream.

            “Tigger is an asshole.”

            Dean chuckled and shook his head and leaned in to kiss Cas under the very, _very_ nice water pressure.

           


	9. Sam

Sam clicked send and waited for the confirmation that his email flew off to Jess before clicking his phone off. The wi-fi in the cabins was absolutely horrendous, but Sam had a theory that Charlie took it all to watch Netflix in bed at night. He used his 4G for the most part, hoping to God Mary and John wouldn’t yell at him when he went back home. He sat down on his bed.

            He and Jess were talking a lot. He missed her a whole bunch, but he didn’t say anything to anyone about it. Dean would surely make fun of him and the other people probably thought he was pathetic. He was missing his girlfriend and they’d only known each other for that one little week. Sure it was sort of stupid, but they did like each other, so why not try to make it work? If it didn’t, then it didn’t and that would be that. Sam sure hoped that wasn’t the case though.

            Jess liked a lot of stuff he did. She enjoyed reading classical books and poetry and she liked the same kind of music as him. She had an eclectic taste, that is to say. Her favorite movies were the _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy, same as him. She even liked salad, which was Sam’s go-to lunch. Dean made fun of him for that.

            When she grew up she wanted to be a nurse. Sam said he wanted to be a lawyer and he hoped to attend Stanford. Jess did as well. They had a lot in common and the stuff they disagreed on, they had fun debating their own theories and opinions. Sam was really fond of her.

            After declaring Jess his official girlfriend, Sam was afraid to let any of Dean’s friends and Dean himself know about it. Of course he had to inform his parents just because that was sort of the mandatory thing to do. Mary was happy for him and John told Sam he really liked her from what he’d known of her at Bobby’s dinner. He was grateful with their replies, however, Mary was becoming nosy. Sam had to pretend he was busy with camp stuff so as to ignore her texts for as long as possible. They all asked him how Jess was and if had they been talking and when he was going to see her again, etc.

            Anyway, Cas was the first to officially know. Sam really liked Cas. He was kind and quiet and nerdy like Sam was, and he felt he could let Cas in on a lot of things. He’d stopped Sam to have a nice chat and Sam told him. Cas congratulated him genuinely. That’s what Sam liked about Cas: he was always selfless and generous. Dean and his friends were another story. Sam was growing to like Benny, but he just wasn't there yet.  Jo was always nice to him, but she was obnoxious and her mouth was always running. Charlie was always one of Sam's favorites, but he knew she blabbed about anything and everything. Dean was nosy like their mom with the addition of his joking. Sam really liked Hannah, but he wasn’t sure how she would react to his news.

            Then Sam thought, “What the hell” because he knew a lot about that group that they didn’t think anyone knew about.

            Sam was the epitome of the wallflower of the group. He appeared to be a growing, mop-headed, nerdy kid who didn’t say ‘fuck’ and listened to clean music and read in his free time. And he was those things on the outside, but on the inside he was completely different. On the inside, he did say ‘fuck’ and he pretended not to notice the petty, little things Dean’s friends were hiding from each other.

            Hell, one week in, Sam knew Charlie and Hannah were going to date.

            Each one of Dean’s friends was an open book. Sam could read expressions and gestures and word phrasing like no other. He could tell what was going on with someone by the way they dressed, who someone liked by the way they leaned into each other, and who was keeping secrets by the way they shielded their eyes when something close to the secret came up in conversation.

            He liked to say _Sherlock Holmes_ aided him with his observational skills, but the other half was just blatantly obvious on their faces and they were just too naïve to think Sam would understand or was watching what was going on.

            First was Jo. Jo was seventeen and Sam had known her most of his life. He knew her front lip curled up when she was pissed. He knew she hated being doted on and kept from the dangerous things she found fun. He knew she became speechless when she was nervous and how her eyes found the floor when she was uncomfortable. He also knew she liked Benny since her first year of camp. Of course, Dean befriended Benny that first year. When Dean and Jo came home from camp all those months later, he talked about Benny the way friends do. “Benny was so funny, mom! We would totally harass the counselor Victor and yadayadayada.” Sam was sitting on the couch reading _The Outsiders_ at the time, which was quite a big book for his ripe young age, and everyone thought he was zoned out on the words. He was paying attention to Jo, though. Okay, sure, at this time he had a crush on Jo, so of course he would pay attention, but he was more observing her gesticulations. As Dean praised Benny and his awesomeness or something like that, Jo would blush and nod at a ripened pace to agree with every good thing Dean threw out. When Dean included her in the conversation, Jo would open her mouth as if to say something and then nod in conclusion.

            Sam knew that very day that Jo had the biggest crush on Benny, whoever the guy was. She also kept asking Dean about him that day forward, and he would reply with a quick remark about Benny’s greatness and was totally oblivious to Jo’s intentions. Sam knew.

            Then there was Benny. Sam had only met him this year. Dean video chatted him all the time during school and everything, but that was about the only glimpse Sam ever got of him. When he finally got the full scope of things, he found Benny to be intimidating and mysterious. He was tall and bulky and his Southern accent was molasses and to the point. He was a little odd and he had this weird look in his eye as if he was questioning everything everyone did and was keeping things from everyone. He was a hard one to guess, and perhaps that was why Sam didn’t like him all that much. Of course, Dean informed Sam that Benny had a terrible home life but Sam wasn’t sure that was the entirety of it. Either way, that first day when Benny introduced himself and sat by Sam, he noticed Benny’s eyes averting to Jo every chance they got. Sam didn’t look at Benny too often that morning, but Jo would catch his eyes and smile and then nonchalantly turn back to the conversation.

            As Sam watched Dean’s table from across the room while he sat with his new friends, he noticed Benny wringing his hands when he would talk to Jo. He had a habit of running his hand through his hair and leaning forward into her space as they talked. It was a gesture of wanting to be closer. This was only three days in and he knew Dean was going to win the bet between him and Charlie, even if he did find it to be unethical. He knew something would happen between the two this summer because during that first break while they were tubing, Jo jokingly held his hand while they were on the tube and when they got off they forgot to unlock fingers. Sam, figuring he would try a little experiment, asked Jo to hand him his soda when she had Benny’s hand in hers and her other hand on her own drink. This led Jo to look down at their intertwined hands and let go, blushing, and lock eyes with Benny. He smiled at her then, and Sam knew the grin meant he was happy holding her hand. There was absolutely no way they would not do anything about it. Sam figured they would need a little push.

            Charlie on the other hand would not need a push. From the get-go, Charlie let her feelings be heard loud and clear. Day one she started flirting with Hannah and joking with her in the way only Charlie knew how. She had absolute charm and her flirting skills were fantastic. Dean and her were the only two whom Sam had noticed were completely confident in their flirting skills. Hannah, on the other hand, was this shy, odd girl who was happy with everything life had to offer and was curious at many things. Sam really liked her, especially that day he engaged her in a conversation while everyone else talked about unimportant, less stimulating topics. Sam found her to be very intelligent and kind. In that conversation, she asked him if Charlie was a lesbian and Sam nodded. After that, Hannah smirked a little and looked down at her food, terminating their conversation. She was awkward and it was blatantly obvious from her face that she’d never been flirted with. Also, that she was crushing back on Charlie. Sam studied them later on from afar and found that Charlie was handsy with Hannah, and though Hannah was shy and not very confident, she allowed her to do so. She also came out of her shell slowly. Charlie was bringing her out from her own little world and to the wacky world of the Winchester family, and it was then Sam knew they would get together. He also saw them holding hands under the table at dinner one night, so conveniently placed that none of their friends would see. They were in that stage of love where nothing bad could happen and they wanted to be close.

            And then, oh and then, there was his very own brother. Dean came out as bisexual years ago and everyone accepted him and they were all fine and dandy with it. However, Dean never really mentioned any guys. There was Lisa and Cassie and of course Benny, but everyone knew Benny was the best friend Dean ever had and never thought of him in that way. Sometimes Sam wondered if even though he came out, he was still trying to hide it.

            That remained his theory until he remembered that one summer a couple of years ago when he came back from camp and had a new person to dote on. Of course there were Benny stories from that year, but this new boy kept coming up in his conversations. It was 'Cas this' and 'Cas that' and Sam just had to ask him if he even talked to the kid.

            “Eh, not really,” Dean had answered simply. Sam thought, _wow, that’s an awful lot of stories you have there from a guy you’ve barely talked to._ This was when Sam became suspicious of Dean. Cas was this mysterious boy who wore sweaters and ginormous, ugly glasses and worn out jeans. Dean said his hair was always messy and he was the biggest nerd- bigger than Sam!

            He was very fond of the boy, Sam knew of course. Dean said he made fun of the kid the entire summer, but the way he conversed about him and placed him on this pedestal of awkwardness, Sam grew suspicious of Dean’s real feelings towards the boy.

            So yeah, he kind of stalked Dean’s history on his laptop. If it wasn’t Busty Asian Beauties, it was stupid things like, “Do worms poop” and weird stuff like that. And then he found Dean’s Facebook search and Castiel’s name was right there in the URL. Sam clicked on it and found most of Castiel’s stuff to be blocked. He clicked on the profile picture and noticed the big glasses, but he wasn't the weird kid Dean made him out to be. He looked normal and actually kind of handsome behind the glasses.

            The next year, Dean came home with even more stories of Cas. Charlie and Jo kept telling him to shut up already about the Cas kid. That year, though, Dean was more lively and bright while talking about Cas. His eyes lit up and a smile instantly formed across his face while he joked about a particular sweater Cas wore on some day.

            The year after that and the one after that had the same instances. Cas was the main topic of his story telling at dinner and he would go a million miles an hour, guzzling down his drink and scarfing down his dinner without batting an eye. Mary and John listened to him rave about Cas, and Sam saw the sparkle in his eye. Then when the story wound down, Dean would drop his eyes, breathing, with a small smile on his face as if remembering the nostalgia the summer gave him. He’d wait a couple of minutes and lean his head back against the wall and say, “God, I can’t wait until next summer.”

            Sam knew he had a crush on Cas.

            Then this year came. Sam was on the lookout for Cas the entire time and when Dean invited him to sit with them for dinner, Sam was absolutely shocked. The way his brother made fun of him (though with good humor and banter) made it seem as though Cas was distant and just an object with which Dean could have a good laugh when the opportunity presented itself. Sam was absolutely wrong on that one. Cas sat down, looking completely different from his profile pictures all those years ago. In fact, Sam could say he was hot. He still wore an ugly sweater, but his glasses were gone and he was in good shape and he had angles and was all grown up.

            At dinner, Sam watched Dean interact with Cas. They joked and bantered, but Sam was noticing how Cas could hold his own against his witty brother. Dean had a look of fondness on his face and Sam clarified his crush. As the weeks went by, the crush became more and more obvious. Dean grew reserved when he thought Cas was dating Hannah, which, sure, Sam would have assumed, too, had he not figured out Hannah was already head over heels for Charlie. His brother was absolutely pathetic and ridiculous and Cas was looking at Dean like he was the sun the entire time. Sam knew Cas liked Dean as well. And from the looks of it, he’d liked him a long time, too. He couldn’t say why…Dean was a dick and barely even talked to him, but the way Cas’s eyes bored a hole into Dean while he listened and stared wholeheartedly at his brother informed Sam that Cas wanted Dean as well.

            And then the whole fiasco with Hannah was dropped when, obviously, Hannah and Charlie were out to everyone. Dean was happy-go-lucky head-over-heels in love with Cas again and Cas was closer to Dean than he had been before.

            Sam knew when they were together, too. He wasn’t hurt that Dean didn’t tell him. In fact, Sam was pretty sure that the other people in Dean’s friend group could just tell they were together anyway.

            It was a couple of weeks ago and Sam was heading up to Bobby’s for the week. He wasn’t in the mood for alcohol and hormones because he missed Jess and wanted time to himself. When he was walking up to Bobby’s that morning, he saw Dean wink at Cas and lean into him while they walked down to the basketball courts. Cas pressed into him in return and Dean hovered a hand over the small of Cas’s back; a simple gesture that spoke all that needed to be said to Sam. Dean was never that handsy nor that into anyone before. Dean had that look of someone who’d been kissed by the person he was meant to be with and he could not stop smiling while they walked step-by-step next to each other in silence. The key to Sam’s deduction was simply this: Dean was himself and he was comfortable. Dean held in all he could and all his emotions at any other time. This time, his heart was on his sleeve. That day, as they passed Sam without knowing he was there, Sam saluted them. He was proud of Dean.

            So yeah, Sam wasn’t Sherlock Holmes and he wasn’t a CSI whiz or anything, but he figured if anyone paid attention to minor details in another person’s life, they could come to simple conclusions before anyone else. Just watch closely and wait for events to unfold. 

            He had Jess now, too. Everyone was all in one conglomerate of love and bliss, but Sam figured if everyone liked each other as much as they showed (which he was absolutely certain they did), how could it not work? Benny and Jo were happy and adorable, and though Sam wasn’t keen on Benny, he saw the way he coddled her and held her as if she was fragile, even though he knew she was way on the other end of that spectrum. Maybe he simply knew that sometimes Jo wanted to feel like she was loved and needed some protection at times.

            Charlie and Hannah were absolutely perfect for each other. They were the yin and yang, Sam figured as an allusion. Charlie was loud and flirty and charming and nerdy and Hannah was quiet and awkward and uncomfortable and intelligent. They relied on one another to help each other through things. They were completely all for each other and they were best friends, even though they’d just met.

            God, and Dean and Cas. Sam didn’t ever want to think about Dean’s love life, really. Maybe that was because he assumed Dean would die alone…maybe with his car. Dean didn’t really feel emotions to that extent and his façade of jokes and flirtation could only be a barrier for so long. But now that Sam knew Cas and was absolutely fond of him (maybe like a second brother), he wanted Dean to stay with him for the long haul. From the way Cas spoke about his brother, he was honest and loved Dean and worshipped him. He spoke no negatives and Dean needed that. He needed to feel loved. For whatever reason, Dean was always reserved when it came to people’s thoughts about him. He didn’t know how to receive positive attention and he didn’t really know how to give it without being an asshole.

            But Cas was different. Dean cherished Cas and Cas made him feel loved. They were two peas in a pod and they were friends. Above all, they were friends. Sam was happy for Dean. Perhaps Dean could start to feel loved again.


	10. Chapter 10

If Dean’s name were in the dictionary, the definition would be ‘asshole’. Then right next to his name would be a little drawing of him, freckles and all, with a bystander flipping him off. He knew he was being an asshole this time. He also did nothing to stop it.

            It wasn’t like he wanted to ignore Cas. He wanted the exact opposite. He wanted to be all over Cas, praising him, hugging him, talking to him…he wanted all those things and more. His intentions were selfish and Dean knew it, but he couldn't help breaking into that Dean Winchester mode of holding back and isolating himself. It was what he did.

            Cas deserved better. He deserved a smarter and handsomer and more caring guy. Dean was incapable of living up to the expectations he assumed Cas would want. He was none of the things listed above and he would never be. He was simpleton Dean who was a complete idiot and annoying and incompetent enough that he physically could not show Cas as much love as he should. Hell, he could barely say the word let alone act on it. And part of him knew that maybe these things were all in his head, but they were planted there, and they wouldn't leave. He couldn't stop analyzing his thoughts. He'd held them down for a long while, let them build up, and finally that damn was breaking and now he was emotionally wrecked.

            So yeah, he was reverting back to all those weeks ago and was ignoring Cas.

            Oh, and Cas noticed it, too.

            It was a fresh new week and Dean had sixteens. He thought nothing of them this go around. They were all old enough to do what they wanted and kept in the dark so that they knew nothing of Dean’s bisexuality. They did their own thing and Dean was just there if they needed someone to talk to or to lead them somewhere.

            Cas had fifteens this week, and on that first day, Dean was supposed to pop out of his cabin in a Cas sweater and crocs and rock them. He, however, did not. He pretended he slept in. Anyone who knew Dean Winchester knew he did not sleep in, like, ever. He stayed in his cabin through breakfast, filling himself up on coffee instead. He didn’t sleep the night before; thoughts of Cas with another person who could make him feel more loved got the best of Dean, and he simply couldn’t deal with it. He knew there was someone out there for Cas. Someone who could meet his demands and fulfill his needs and make him feel loved, preferably in the long run. Dean would be just fine on his own; a little sad, maybe, but he would.

            The other thing that bothered him was the college question. Dean knew once people went to college, they parted ways with their friends from yesteryear and soon they were nonentities reminisced on while conversing with their new friends.

            They’d say, “Oh man, I should call insert name here.” Thirty minutes, they were drunk and all was forgotten. It happened. Everyone in Dean’s life would leave him. Even Sammy someday.

            After all the thoughts congregated in his head and refused to depart, Dean was deeply saddened and hung on to the thoughts that made him that way. The demons in his head continued to nag at him and he couldn’t think clearly or sort through his problems. He never could deal by himself, and he always refused help on how to sort out and deal with his issues. Mostly because he didn’t want anyone else to know about them. This time, though, they refused to be packed up into Dean’s ‘thoughts to keep hidden forever’. They lived on the surface.

            Anyway, Cas came up to check on Dean after breakfast and Dean answered the door with a frown on his face and his voice monotone as he said, “Hey.”

            Cas furrowed his brow. “Are you alright, Dean?”

            “Peachy,” Dean offered, not thinking to let Cas in. Cas shifted his weight to the other side.

            “Um,” Cas started, his deep voice growling with uncertainty. “Everyone was wondering if you were going to come to lunch or go swimming with us?”

            Dean shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

            Cas reached for Dean, but he took a step back. The look on Cas’s face was heartbreaking as he retracted his hand back and stepped off the stairs. “If…if you need someone to talk to…”

            “I’ll be fine.” Dean closed the door. “Have a good day, Cas.”

            Cas furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and Dean shut the bigger door, blocking Cas from his view. He mentally cursed himself, “Fucking asshole, you fucker, you fucking dick.” He paced the room and then decided to lie down. Maybe sleep would help.

            It didn’t, really. He felt like an asshole and words played around in his mind: "Cas doesn’t deserve you, he’s going to leave you and go to a prestigious school, they’ll all leave you."

            However, the words didn’t block out his hunger, so he decided to go for a snack at the canteen. He threw on a hoodie and some basketball shorts and then walked to the little shack. He got some licorice, holding off on the Jolly Ranchers today. He also grabbed himself a granola bar and then he headed back up the hill to his cabin.

            That didn’t go too well with Dean’s friends and neither did skipping dinner while all his new campers went. Charlie marched up after dinner by herself, cursing all the way up the hill. Dean could hear it, too. He prepared himself for her ranting and raving, but all she did was open the door and push Dean on the bed, and then she sat down next to him.

            “What’s going on?” Charlie crossed her arms over her Vulcan Salute shirt and Dean sighed.

            “Nothing. I’m fine,” Dean said.

            “You’re the worst fucking liar, you know that?” Charlie said. “I mean, you’re actually worse than you were those couple of weeks ago. At least you joined us then. Now you’re all Boo Radley and Hulk, especially to Cas.”

            Dean sighed and lay down, staring up. He wished he could climb into that little tiny crawlspace between the roof and the ceiling and just hibernate for a little while.

            “Look, Charlie, I can deal with it, okay?” Dean swallowed and Charlie stood up.

            “Yeah, you always say that and then you don’t. You just stuff it away for a rainy day and bring it back up again at the worst times. I don’t know if you knew, but talking to someone about your issues helps you sort through them.”

            “Thanks, but no thanks.”

            “You’re an asshole,” Charlie told him. She shook her head and stomped out of the room, and Dean was pretty sure he was acting like a whiny bitch.

+

 

            Cas tried again that night. Dean didn’t show up at campfire and Bobby called him to ask what was up. Dean lied and said he was sick and that was all it took to get out of the next couple of days. He was starving though. Gabriel’s food aromas wafted around the camp during dinner and Dean just wanted to slink down there and get a good helping of fettuccine. Instead he stayed in his room and read his comic book.

            Cas knocked on the door around 7:30 and Dean knew it was him because some he could see the black tuft of hair in the door window. One of Dean's kids went to open it. Dean told them to ignore it because it was a prank.

            Cas left and didn’t try again all night. Dean was thankful, however the pseudo Cas in his mind would not leave him alone. His eyes stayed wide open all night, bloodshot, the thoughts racing through his mind acting like a song that he couldn’t get out of his head.

            The next morning he was feeling a bit better. He almost wanted to head down to breakfast. That idea flew out of his mind when Cas looked through the window, catching Dean’s attention as he did so, and he could physically see Cas huff a sigh and then head down to breakfast. Dean didn’t need to explain himself so he wouldn’t go.

            Besides, he was sick.

            Benny tried that day and then Jo but Dean ignored them both. Cas tried again and then all was calm. Everything went silent and added to Dean's numbness.

            The day after that, Dean had to get back into the swing of things or else Bobby would come and check up on him and see what the hell kind of sickness decided to overcome him.

            He went to breakfast and Jo waved him over. Dean offered a small smile and then veered straight for the door to go and sit down at the docks by himself. And yeah, that was probably the dick move of the season.

 

+

 

            That night, Dean was gripped tight in the arm and yanked to the side of his cabin. His head hit the wall lightly and the hand squeezed tighter on his shoulder. The other hand came up to Dean’s mouth to cover it. Dean looked down at the hand and then at the captor. It was none other than Cas.

            Cas’s jaw was tight and his eyes were hard and pissed off and storm blue. The shadow the moon cast on his face made him seem powerful and Dean could believe it what with the grip he had on his shoulder.

            “I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you, Dean,” Cas said, his voice deep and dripping with anger. “I don’t know how to act right now. What am I supposed to do? Why are you abandoning your friends and not talking to us? This is really random, Dean, and none of us know what to do.”

            Cas tightened his grip on Dean’s mouth.

            “We’ve tried to talk to you, Dean. I have no idea what the reason is, but I’ve had time to think since you’ve been avoiding us and I came to one simple conclusion.”

            He leaned in closer to Dean. _Was he going to call it quits? Break it off?_ Dean's heart dropped at the thought, although he felt it might be for the best in the long run. He'd had plenty of time to thing about it.

            “You don’t like me anymore. Is that it, Dean? You don’t want me to hang out with you or your friends? Because if it is, I have to let you know that I consider your friends my own now. I don't want to stop hanging out with you guys. After all, Dean, we were friends before anything happened. I can't lose you. Even if you don't like me anymore, maybe you could tolerate me?” He spoke softly, not harshly, and Dean just wanted to pull Cas into a hug and tell him he had it all wrong and that he was sorry and that he didn’t want Cas to feel this way.

            Instead he shook his head and Cas moved his hand finally. “No Cas, that’s not it.”

            “Then what is it, Dean? What could be so god damned important that you decide it’s okay to leave us and not explain yourself? What happened to you?” His voice was starting to rise.

            Dean shrugged. “Look Cas, I don’t know how to explain, okay.”

            “Let me explain it for you, Dean,” Cas's emotions changed quickly when he noticed Dean wasn't going to explain, and he snarled at him. And damn if he wasn’t scary as hell. “We’re here. That’s what friends are for. We’ll always be there for you. If you don’t feel like we are close enough to talk then that’s just sad for you. It hurts me that you feel that way.”

            “Cas, there’s just a lot I can’t…can’t.”

            “Save it, Dean. We’re here for you. The only thing is...you have to let us.” He let go of Dean and walked back to his cabin breathing hard. Dean heard the door of his cabin slam and let out a deep breath.

            “Fuck,” Dean said.

+

 

            He couldn’t confide in anyone after that. Cas made it even clearer. They’d always be there for him. Always? Would they? Words were petty and meaningless.

            So yeah, Dean steered clear for a little while. They all gave up, but at night Cas would text Dean a little moon. It was something he did when they went to bed and Dean thought it was dumb but he still loved it. He couldn’t bring himself to reply with the stupid little emoji of a star, though.

            Dean sat outside at all meals and skipped the fire but he went to bonding. He was with some counselor named Sam, which was short for Samandriel, and Dean thought he was an okay guy.

            By day five, Dean called his mom. His emotions were slowly taking over his life, and he felt he was constantly living with tears threatening to spring from his eyes and his mind about to explode from all the pent up thoughts he couldn't deal with. He needed to talk to someone now, but the only person he thought he could really confide in was his mom. He physically could not bring himself to talk to his friends about it. He'd tried. He'd attempted to go and talk to Benny, but halfway down the hill he felt ill and turned around. Besides, they didn’t need to know his thoughts and feelings and they sure as hell didn’t need his burden on their backs either, nevermind what Cas said. But it would feel good to talk to another person after being in his head for so long. 

            Mary picked up on the third ring and Dean said, “Hey mom.”

            “Dean! It’s good to hear from you! How’s camp?”

            Dean sighed into the receiver and started pacing around the empty cabin. “It’s…it was going good for a little while.”

            “Uh oh,” Mary said, starting to sound agitated. “What happened, sweetie?

            Dean sucked in a deep breath so as to keep the tears back. “Um…” Dean choked on a sob and Mary started ‘shh’ing him on the other end.    

            “Dean, sweetie, take a deep breath and tell me what’s going on. Do you need me to come up there?”

            “No,” Dean said, wiping at the wetness welling up in his eyes. “No. I’m…you know how I get when I think too much? Like that one time when you and dad were fighting really badly and I thought it was my fault and...and...the bridge just broke and I can't get rid of these thoughts. I've tried dealing and I can't anymore. I'm hurting people."

            Mary sighed. “Oh Dean…what’s wrong? What’s eating you up? Is it one thing or do you not know?”

            Dean sucked in a deep breath, his throat catching. “It’s…what if my friends leave me, mom?”

            “Oh honey,” Mary said, her voice becoming more soothing. “They aren’t going to leave you. This was what happened when you thought your father's and my fighting was your fault, remember? You thought one of us would leave. But Dean, we didn't. We could never. You are not alone. And honey, how long have you been friends with them? A long time, right?” Mary paused to let the words sink in to Dean's mind, and then she continued. “Remember Benny? That first year at camp. You came home and all school year you talked to him. It continued all these years. What makes you think he’ll stop talking to you?”

            Dean palmed his eyes and looked out the window, staring at the whitecaps on the lake. “Change.”

            “What kind of change?” Mary asked him, trying to talk him through his buildup of emotions. Dean shrugged and then remembered she couldn’t see it.

            “Him and Jo are together now. What if they move away and get involved with their own life and their own world and they forget about me?”

            “Sweetheart,” Mary started. “First off, Jo is still in high school. She was practically raised with you. She would never cut off ties with you. And you know what? They might move away and they might get new friends. But they won’t forget about you. They love you too much to do that. Same goes with Charlie and that girl she is with.”

            “How’d you know about that?” Dean asked.

            “Sammy. He’s keeping me up to date. Dean, maybe you should talk to Sam. You know he is actually keeping in touch with a girl who is not near him. She could stop talking to him or find another person to like but she hasn’t so far and probably won’t. Sam might give you an understanding.”

            “That’s embarrassing.”

            “What is?”

            “My own little brother giving me advice.”

            Mary chuckled. Dean took a deep breath that hitched. He was starting to feel a little better, but there was more.

            “I can’t seem to get out of my head that they’ll just leave me for better people.”

            “Dean, you’re a great person. They won’t do that. Besides, they aren’t assholes like your other friends in high school,” Mary told him. “Speaking of that, how has that been going? Have any boys been treating you poorly?”

            “No. Do you,” Dean smiled, “remember Cas?”

            “Yes. That boy is a love. I think I developed a crush on him,” Mary told him, chuckling. Dean huffed out a laugh.

            “Cas and me…we, we’re kind of together. Or were,” Dean informed his mom. She was silent on her end for a minute and Dean waited for her response.

            “We kind of assumed there was something going on between you two,” Mary finally said. “That’s great…wait, were?”

            “Were. I…I’ve kind of been an asshole,” Dean said.

            “Dean,” she said, running out the ‘n’ longer than necessary. “Is this part of why you called me?”

            Dean sat down on his bed. “I…he’s too good for me, mom. He’s way too good for me. He’s so smart and he’s so loyal and kind and just…good. He can find someone way better than me.”

            Mary sighed on the other end. “Dean, you realize this is your interpretation of this. Did you care to ask Cas how he feels?”

            Dean paused and Mary took that as a no.

            “Dean, don’t just assume. You need to talk this out with him. That is what a relationship is based on...trust me. If he feels that way, he’ll let you know. He cares about you enough that if he didn't like you, he would let you know. And something tells me you two would still be friends. I don't think you could ever separate now that you've become friends. Besides, I think he likes you a lot. He sees that you are a beautiful person, Dean.”

            Dean leaned forward and closed his eyes. “I don’t know how to talk, mom.” Dean’s eyes were starting to dampen again. “I don’t know how. I don’t know how to show how I’m really feeling and I’m too afraid to.”

            “I was the same way,” Mary answered and then repeated. “I used to feel the exact same. You just have to get through it once, Dean, _once_ , and I promise you will get used to it. No one is going to let you down and, especially with Cas, it will be reciprocated. Just take a deep breath and let out what you’re feeling. You don't ever have to hold back your emotions, be it good or bad.”

            Dean wiped his eyes. “What if they don’t give a shit about how I’m feeling especially now that I’ve been a dick to all of them?”

            Mary paused. “They will care, Dean. They’re your friends. All of them will forgive you. The question is, can you forgive yourself? You can’t hold this against yourself either, you know.”

            Dean nodded. “Yeah.”

            “Good. Dean, go talk to Sammy, alright. Get his insight. He’s a smart boy. After that, go apologize to your friends and to Cas. I expect him to come over for Thanksgiving with Jess. Do you understand?” Dean pictured his mom with her hands on her hips.

            “I will.”

            “Good. Are you going to be okay? You sure I don’t need to get your father and come marching up to camp?” Mary questioned Dean.

            “Yes.” Dean huffed a laugh.

            “Okay, well I can’t do any more to help you, sweetie. Are you feeling a little bit better?”

            “Yeah,” Dean replied. He meant it, too.

            “Good. Go see Sam. Dad and I will call you tonight to see how you’re doing. If you need someone to talk to before then, go see Bobby and have him call us.”

            “Okay,” Dean replied. “Thanks mom.”

            “Anytime, honey. You have a good rest of your day,” Mary said, and Dean figured it could have the potential to be a good one.

            “Okay.”

            Dean hung up and let out a deep breath. He took a few more in, calming himself down and staring at one spot on the ground, spacing out. It was relaxing and now he was feeling less tense and ready to go outside. He would do what his mom told him and go and see Sam. Besides, he hadn’t seen the kid in a while anyway.

+

 

            Luckily, Sam was in his cabin reading during break. He had his head propped up on his Looney Tunes pillowcase and his big ass _Count of Monte Cristo_ book lay open halfway through. Dean shook his head and knocked on the doorframe. Sam looked up from his book and motioned him in. Dean entered and sat down on the edge of Sam’s bed. He wasn’t sure where to begin so he took in the room for a second, trying to come up with the way to start the conversation.

            Surprisingly, he didn’t really have to.

            “I heard you were being a shithead,” Sam said, his eyes not leaving his book. “Do you care to explain?”

            “That’s kind of why I came here,” Dean replied. He picked at a string coming off the blanket.

            “Good. There’s obviously some reason behind it and until I get your side I can’t really choose Cas OR you.”

            “Cas was the one who talked to you?” Dean asked his brother.

            “Yep,” Sam replied, dog earing his book and shutting it. He set it to the side. “He told me you were avoiding everyone with no explanation and you haven’t even talked to _him_ about what's going on with you. That’s pretty low, Dean. Especially since you two are together.”

            Dean blushed. “You knew?”

            “Yes. I’m not that clueless. Besides, Cas told me. Now, please tell me your side of the story before I strangle you.”

            Dean sighed. “I called mom.”

            “And she told you to talk to me,” Sam guessed. Dean nodded. “Figures. She thinks I can sort things out for whatever reason.”

            “Already in the law business,” Dean offered. Sam smiled shyly. “Anyway, my…my thing where I bring out all my pent up thoughts decided to spring up the other night.” Dean whispered this, though he wasn’t sure why. Sam was the only one in the room.

            Sam nodded. “Okay, that is understandable. Mom and Dad told you how to work through that, though. Did you listen to them? Just gotta think rationally."

            “Yeah. I started off not doing what they said, and then I called mom and talking to her helped a little, but this time I feel like I can’t worry my friends about it. It’s not their burden to bear and they can’t really help me with it.”

            “How do you know unless you tell them? Continue.”

            Dean nodded. “Um…so my brain brought out all these thoughts about people leaving me and not staying in touch and going on to have better lives.” Dean ran a hand through his hair and then he took a deep breath. “You know, you’ll go to Stanford and Charlie will leave and Jo and Benny and…Cas.”

            “Okay,” Sam said, his voice inflection informing him to move on.

            “I don’t think I can handle that. So I thought about everyone going off to college and leaving and never coming back, and that made me think about Cas and how he should be going to a smart college and meeting a better person and having a better life with someone who is the complete opposite and better version of me and who treats him like he’s the whole world and…and…”

            “Dean, I don’t know if you realize it, but you _do_ treat Cas like he’s your whole world. It’s extremely obvious. And on top of that, Cas treats you that way himself. And you deserve that, too, y’know? You deserve someone who treats you like the whole world. He does that. You aren’t fucked up. You have some minor issues, sure, but if you let Cas know what you feel are to be your biggest flaws and how this thing that's going on with you right now sometimes happens, and how you deal with them and how mom, dad and I deal with them, he can do that, too. It won’t put him in a position he won’t want to be in. He’ll be glad to do that because he loves you, Dean.”

            Dean blushed.

            “He might be going to a college,” Sam said. “Maybe it’s away from you, but you can make it work. I know it sounds hard and it will be a lot of work but you are strong and Cas is loyal. I have to be at this camp and tangibly write to Jess and like her Tumblr posts to let her know I’m still alive. She lives an hour away, but I want to work on that and keep doing this because I really like her, Dean. I like her a whole bunch.”

            Dean nodded.

            “Now, on top of all that, you don’t even know where or even if Cas is going to go to college. You need to talk to this with him. You can’t keep it in, Dean. Even if things are painful to talk about, you need to sort them out if you want to keep it going with Cas. Ask him where he’s going to college and what he wants to do with your relationship after camp. It’s hard, but it will work out if you just figure out what is going on with you two.”

            Dean sighed. “You’re right.”

            “Damn right I’m right.” Sam rolled his eyes. “So your friends are pissed at you, too. Let them know what is going on. You don’t have to tell them about the storage suppression thing in your head, even though they probably already know since they’ve known you basically your whole life. Just let them know you needed some alone time because your thoughts were jumbled and you didn’t know how to proceed. They’ll understand, okay? You have great friends. Even Benny. Let them know how you feel about the keeping in touch, too. They probably worry the same thing, you know? If you’re feeling it, they probably are, too.”

            Dean leaned forward and hugged his brother. Sam stiffened in surprise and then tightened his arms around Dean. He instantly felt a lot better. Sam was the connotation of home. Dean felt better anytime Sam was around.

            “Thanks Sammy,” Dean said.

            “No problem, jerk.”

            “Bitch.”

            “Glad to see you smiling. Go talk to your friends. By the end of the night, you’d better have laryngitis from all the talking you’re doing.”

            Dean chuckled and walked across the room to the door. He nodded once at Sammy and then exited out into the summer sun.

+

 

            “So…I’m really sorry, guys. I just had a…a thought that wouldn’t escape my mind.” Dean looked up at Charlie, Benny and Jo. An hour ago, he called them and asked them to meet him in the dining hall. They were all pretty pissed when they arrived, but they listened intently to Dean’s explanation and instantly their angry faces fell into understanding. Dean told them about his suppression, even though they kind of knew. He felt like they wouldn’t care or wouldn’t understand or even think he was being whiny, but they all accepted him and didn’t berate him or anything. That made Dean feel better than ever.

            Not only that, but Sam was right. They all felt the same about leaving each other. Charlie was afraid they’d forget each other or keep in touch adamantly for a little while and then just end it. Benny had always been afraid of that since he lived far away from everyone and Jo was worried when everyone went off to college that she’d be the loner high schooler.

            Dean could breathe again for the most part. He still had to have his talk with Cas, but his friends were done with. He’d gotten that out of the way and in that time they’d made a serious pact that they would keep in touch with each other forever.

            “Dean, you let us know when you feel like that, okay,” Charlie said. “Jesus, you let us be assholes and that probably didn’t do anything to help you at all.”

            Dean held up his hands. “It was my fault. It happens. Thanks guys.”

            “We got your back, brother.”

            Jo nodded. “Dean, you know I can’t stop talking to you. Who else would I beat up on?”

            Dean smirked. “I love you guys.”

            “We know,” Charlie said, winking at Dean. She leaned into him, whispering, “Go talk to Cas. We’ll save you guys some dinner.”

            Dean nodded. “Thank you.”

            He stood up from the table and saluted them before exiting the dining hall with a little spring in his step. He headed up to Cas’s cabin. He assumed he’d be there since it was his break time and he wasn’t with Hannah or Dean’s friends.

            The hill of hell wasn’t so bad when lots of thoughts ran through his mind. He could barely feel the burn in his legs and strain in his thighs. He just walked straight on to Cas’s cabin, a man on a mission.

            When he reached the front porch though, he really wanted to chicken out. His heart was beating wildly. Sam’s words rang through his head and the support from his friends led him forward to the door. He knocked and realized what he had just done. He wanted to run away. Maybe take it back. No, he had to do this. Whether or not Cas would reply the way Dean sure hoped he would, he had to.

            Cas opened the door and looked at Dean through the screen. His face was blank of expression but he ultimately opened the door and let Dean in.

            Dean walked passed him, his heart beating fast and his hands shaking. God he was nervous and he was afraid Cas wouldn’t forgive him and…

            “Cas, I’m sorry. Please let me explain,” Dean blurted. Wow, okay, that was a little easier than he thought.

            Cas raised an eyebrow from the door and nodded. “I hope you will,” he replied. He motioned for Dean to sit down at the table and Cas took the seat opposite him.

            “Where do I start?” Dean sighed. “The other night this thought popped into my head, Cas. I started doubting everything. Friendships and…us.”

            Cas’s eyes widened but he didn’t interrupt. Dean was grateful.

            “I could only think about how everyone was going to leave. Charlie and Benny and you, and I didn’t know if I could handle the idea of everyone leaving me and forgetting me. Everyone would make new friends and would forget to keep in touch and I’d be forgotten. Now that I’ve talked to my friends, I’ve realized this isn’t true.”

            Dean looked at Cas and he nodded slowly.

            “Those thoughts led me to you. I thought about you going to a smart college…because you can get into one, I know you can. And I thought about someone else liking you and it pained me but I realized that you DO deserve someone better. You deserve someone smarter and better for you and who treats you good. I’m broken and you could find someone who isn’t. I have a lot of problems and it’s even hard dealing with them on my own.”

            Cas held up his hand to stop Dean. “Dean, hold on, please.”

            Dean nodded and Cas reached out for his hand. He froze but squeezed Cas’s familiar, warm skin and he instantly grew less tense.

            “First of all, Dean, who says I’m going to a smart college?” Cas smiled.

            “Sam said the same thing,” Dean muttered.

            “It’s true,” Cas said. “I haven’t applied to any schools yet. I was procrastinating and pissing my parents off about it.”

            Dean smirked.

            “Dean, look, I want to be a teacher. You don’t have to go to Yale or Harvard or Stanford to become a teacher. Hell, if I went there to become one, I’d feel like I would be very under qualified. I don't even know if they have a teaching program. To be honest,” Cas started, his eyes meeting Dean’s, “I was going to apply to Kansas U because that’s where you were going to be. All I need is to take classes and get a stupid, expensive degree and I can be a teacher. I can go anywhere for that. I’d rather do that with you next to me so I can practice grading papers on your own homework.”

            Dean wanted to cry. He didn’t, but he wanted to. Cas smiled and leaned forward.

            “I’ll go where you go, Dean. I don’t care where we proceed from here and I don’t care what my parents think. I don’t want another person to treat me right because I already have one right in front of me. You’re so smart, Dean, and any burdens you bear I can handle. Trust me, Dean,” Cas said, squeezing his hand. “You don’t have to keep anything to yourself because I’ll be there to listen and if you are having a bad day, you can tell me about it and I will enlighten you with some story. And maybe you’ll be sad the rest of the night but I’ll be there to hold you and get you through it until the next day. I can do all of that if you want me to.”

            “God, yes, I want you to, Cas,” Dean replied with a hitch in his voice. He sighed, relieved. He leaned forward and brought Cas’s lips to his for a single, short-lived kiss, and pulled away.

            “I’m sorry,” Dean told Cas.

            “For what?” Cas questioned.

            “Keeping things in. I tend to do that a lot.”

            “It’s okay,” Cas forgave him. “You just need to realize you can talk to someone about those things. You’re not alone. In fact, I tend to do that, too. Remember all the stuff I was forced into believing because of my parents? I didn’t agree with it but I had to keep it in and keep pretending and I probably will have to do that at times.”

            Dean ran a hand through his hair and smiled. “I’m so relieved, Cas. God, I’m so relieved. And Cas?”

            Cas furrowed his brow.

            “I have a really hard time expressing my emotions which you’ll come to find out…but I have to get this out. I…” Dean connected his eyes with Cas’s radiant blue ones and suddenly felt the courage he needed. “I love you, Cas.”

            A smile spread across Cas’s face and he stood up and walked around the table. He pulled Dean up by his t-shirt and pressed their mouths together. Cas slid his tongue into Dean’s mouth and wrapped his arms around him. Dean had missed this. He remembered every bit of Cas and yet he still needed to know more. He loved this guy in front of him who made Dean feel better whenever he needed it. Cas knew him both inside and out and Dean was surprised he didn’t understand that in the first place.

            Cas pulled away, slowly licking his lips. “I love you too, Dean. I have since day one,” Cas told him. Dean fisted Cas’s t-shirt and pulled him in for a simple, warm hug. He needed it after his lonesome week. And finally, finally with Cas’s arms wrapped around him and their bodies pressed up against each other, Dean felt happy and at peace.

            “Like I said, Dean, I have some problems of my own,” Cas said, whispering in Dean’s ear even though they were the only ones in the cabin and on this hell hill. “It’s going to get worse as we move on to college. My parents are going to berate me and yell at me and press their beliefs on me. Being with you has helped me say screw the traditional ways, but they’re gonna try anyway. They’re going to cut me off from a lot- money and home and other stuff. I’m going to have to figure out how to be independent, but you’re going to be a rock with that. We’re going to be okay. We’re both broken, you know?” Cas’s gravelly voice was sending chills down Dean’s spine.

            “Fuck your parents, Cas. If they can’t love you for who you are, I will.”

            Cas pulled away. Apparently, Dean said something profound because Cas’s eyes connected with Dean’s for one electric moment, and then his lips were crashing into Dean’s and they were walking backwards to Cas’s bed. Dean’s knees hit the mattress and he fell backwards onto the sheets. Cas pulled away to let Dean maneuver to the pillow and then he crawled on top of him, hovering with a certain tenacity about him. His eyes were glued to Dean’s and Dean’s blood was going straight down to his lower belly. Cas leaned into him again, his lips fierce but tongue gentle as he invaded Dean’s mouth. Cas leaned his forehead against his and he slowly brought his mouth away from Dean’s and pressed peppered kisses down his jaw line and to his neck. Dean shivered.

            Cas pulled back and ghosted his hands over the hem of Dean’s shirt. He looked to Dean for approval and he nodded. Cas slid his shirt up and Dean sat straight up so Cas could take it off. Though he was still uncomfortable with his body, he knew Cas appreciated him all the same. In fact, he decided to take the time to make sure he did.

            Cas started from where he left off at Dean’s neck. His lips followed the curve of Dean’s collarbone and down to his chest. He trailed his tongue to Dean’s nipple and Dean had to tighten his jaw while Cas played with it. He brought his hand to Cas’s hair and scrunched it lightly in his hand. Cas looked up to Dean’s face and smiled. He continued kissing down Dean’s torso, making Dean erupt into goosebumps more than once as he kissed a sensitive area. Cas finally reached his hipbones and stuck his fingers inside the hem of Dean’s pants.

            “Is this alright?” Cas questioned Dean.

            “Yeah,” Dean said. “But first we have to be equal.” He remembered this from the time Dean gave him a blowjob. Cas wanted Dean to be the same as him, too.

He pulled on Cas’s shirt, bringing the guy back up to his face and then gripped the material in his hands and pulled it over Cas’s head. Cas’s body heat mixed with Dean’s and their skin was now touching. Cas smirked at him as he snaked down Dean’s body again. He sat up and pulled down Dean’s pants and boxers at the same time. He felt extremely exposed, but he knew Cas would take care of him. He shivered.

            Cas wrapped a gentle hand around Dean and he hissed. He had the perfect grip and the friction of when he started jacking Dean off was even more so.

            “Fu-uck,” Dean mumbled. Cas smirked at him and Dean realized it was only fair since he’d gotten to see Cas’s face like this twice.

            Cas was pumping Dean at the perfect pace and he was staring at him, biting his lip. Dean realized Cas was probably hard as hell now, too. He couldn’t reach him from up here and…

            Cas stopped abruptly and came back up over Dean. His eyes were right in front of Dean’s and his lips were letting hot air settle over him. Yeah, he was not sitting well right now. He needed more friction and Cas was gone.

            “Dean…do you…do you want to…”

            Cas was blushing up a storm and it only took Dean 0.2 seconds to realize why.

            “What is i…oh…oh,” Dean said, his tone rising a couple of octaves. He wasn’t really expecting that. “You want to have sex?”

            Cas nodded, blushing. “It’s just we’re both virgins and I won’t know if I’m doing anything wrong, but I love you, Dean, and I want to be closer to you.”

            Dean smiled. His ears were a little hot as well. “I won’t know if I’m doing anything wrong or right either. I guess we’re in this together, then, aren’t we?” He placed a gentle hand on Cas’s cheek and Cas gripped his forearm.

            “Do you have anything?” Cas questioned him.

            Dean shook his head. “You think camp would sell those things at canteen or something?” He chuckled. “I think we’ll be okay. We’re both clean down there since we’ve never had sex before. The only thing is we’ll need lube or something. It’s gonna hurt pretty bad.”

            Cas smirked at Dean and then held up a finger and got up from the bed to rifle through his duffle. He pulled out a bottle of lube and Dean furrowed his eyebrows as he threw his pants off to the side.

            “Might I ask why?” Dean questioned, leaning on his hand.

            “I was a hormonal teenager coming to camp not thinking I’d officially meet and be loved back by Dean Winchester. I had my reasons,” Cas said, smirking seductively. Dean rolled his eyes.

            Cas unbuttoned his jeans and pulled both his boxers and pants to the floor, stepping out of them. He walked over to the door and locked it and then closed the curtains over the windows. Dean watched him the entire time, mesmerized by the way Cas looked physically. He stood tall and regal and beautifully flawless like an angel or something.

            “You know, you have a great ass. Not just in jeans but butt naked too,” Dean informed Cas. The other guy blushed but nodded.

            “Ditto,” Cas replied and Dean chuckled.

            Cas was on him then and Dean realized, “Oh shit, this is actually happening”.

            Cas jacked him off a little to get him fully hard again. Dean hadn’t realized he’d gone a bit limp; he’d been so absorbed with Cas and all that was going to happen. Which should have made him harder, he supposed. Eh, whatever, he wasn’t an anatomical genius.

            Cas kissed Dean on the mouth and pulled back.

            “Do you want to…” his voice was shaking and Dean brought him back down for a kiss to calm him down. He was nervous, too, but he was trying to keep it together. He rubbed Cas’s back and then pulled away, the minty aftertaste of Cas’s toothpaste lingering in his mouth.

            “You can top, Cas,” Dean whispered. Cas nodded. He paused nervously and Dean told him to breathe and asked him if he was sure he wanted to do this.

            “Yes, I do, Dean. I’m scared of hurting you, though.”

            “It’ll hurt a little but it’ll be worth it in the aftermath,” Dean promised him. “You’d better hurry, though, or I’m going to be coming with all hands off.” That was true. He was waiting in torture here, but he wanted Cas to take it as slow as he needed to.

            Cas squirted the lube onto his hand and looked at Dean for confirmation. Dean nodded and waited for the pressure he was anticipating.

            Cas pressed one finger into Dean and he groaned. It was uncomfortable at first, but then Cas hooked his fingers and a tremor of pleasure shot through him. Cas watched him eagerly, and Dean told him to put in another.

            Finally Cas was up to three fingers and Dean was writhing around, needing more. He groaned out a “Cas” and the boy smiled, the sound of his name on Dean’s wrecked voice pleasuring him. “Cas, you need to fuck me now.”

            Cas nodded and pulled out his fingers. Dean hissed and missed that fabulous pleasure. He fisted the sheets and waited, watching as Cas spread lube over his dick. That made him even harder.

            “You ready?” Cas asked. Dean nodded at a million miles an hour. Cas wound his hand around Dean to flip him over, but Dean placed his hand on Cas’s.

            “No, I want to see you, Cas,” Dean said.

            “I read it doesn’t hurt as much on the-.”

            “I don’t care, Cas, really. I need to see your face.”

            Cas nodded and lined his dick up with Dean’s hole. The teasing of skin against skin killed Dean, but then Cas was slowly pushing in. The pain seared through Dean, though it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. He tightened his jaw and let out a deep breath. Cas stared at Dean, making sure he wasn’t hurting him. Dean reached down for Cas’s hands, a sort of comfort to him, and intertwined them. By time they did that, Cas was fully in Dean and waiting for him to say something. Dean was shaking and he could feel Cas trembling as well. His arms were wobbly and Dean’s legs felt like they could give out.

            In a matter of seconds, the pain somewhat turned to pleasure and Dean knew Cas would have to move or he’d be in for the worst blue balls of his life.

            “Go ahead,” Dean muttered, his voice hoarse. Cas kissed him and pulled himself almost all the way out and then pushed back into Dean again at a comfortable pace. Cas was now hitting that one glorious spot inside him and sparks erupted in his belly. He bit his lip while Cas repeated the process. His eyes were staring straight into Dean’s and their hands were connected. Dean felt like his whole world was finally where it should be.

            Cas was whispering Dean’s name under his breath, the hot air hitting his face. Dean couldn’t help but to lean back into the pillow as much as he was capable of doing and groaning Cas’s name.

            Cas got into a set pace that was comfortable for both of them and he began jacking Dean off to his motions. Dean was feeling wrecked and fucked and raw and Cas was absolutely coming undone above him. His hair was an utter mess and his breathing was erratic. His pupils were shot and his blue eyes were rested straight on Dean.

            Their hands were still clasped on the left side.

            “Dean, I’m going to come,” Cas informed him, his eyes squinting. Dean nodded excessively.

            “Me too,” Dean said.

            They came together and Cas fell on top of Dean, exhausted. Dean was feeling well-fucked and sore, but he liked it. He’d never pictured himself bottoming for anyone but he liked the whole domineering Cas. He wondered what he’d be like if he was angry. However, for their first time, Dean knew this was more ‘making love’ no matter how ridiculous it sounded than ‘fucking’. It was definitely their first time because neither of them lasted long. Hell, he’d only cursed a couple of times during sex but for the most part he was taking in Cas and the way he moved and felt inside and out.

            Dean dropped a hand in Cas’s hair and messed with it, curling it through his fingers while he came down from his high. Their come was drying between them and in Dean’s ass, but they were so blissed out right now it didn’t really matter. Cas pressed his lips onto Dean's shoulder and shivers went up his spine from the sensitivity.

            Cas looked up and dropped his chin on Dean’s chest. His eyes rested on Dean’s and he smirked. “I love you,” he said. “Thank you. That was amazing.”

            “Yeah. Good thing we have a long time to keep on going with that,” Dean said, reverting back to their conversation from an hour ago.

            “Forever, hopefully,” Cas said.

            Dean’s heart sped up and he nodded. “I love you, too. Oh gross,” Dean said as he adjusted and felt the moisture between them caking. “We really need to clean ourselves off.”

            Cas sighed and sat up, climbing off the bed stiffly. Dean knew how that felt, that was for sure. He heaved himself off the bed and found that he was sorer than he thought.

            “Cas, you destroyed me,” Dean commented, smiling at Cas.

            “Whoops,” Cas replied nonchalantly.

            Dean chuckled and bent down to pick up his shirt. He wiped himself off and threw the AC/DC shirt to Cas.

            “Our friends are gonna be wondering where the hell we are,” Dean said, stretching. “Charlie said she’d save us seats for dinner.” Cas threw Dean’s shirt back on the ground and stepped up to his space. He pressed his hands against Dean’s chest and kissed him.

            “It was worth it,” Cas said.

            “Definitely. Hey Cas,” Dean started.

            “Hmm?” Cas whispered against his ear, his stubble scratching his neck.

            “I’m gonna have to borrow a sweater. Kind of forgot that by using my shirt to clean us up it’d be all jizz stained.”

            Cas pulled away, beaming. He pecked Dean’s mouth and headed over to his duffle to rifle through his clothes. Dean watched him, his arms crossed over his naked chest.

            Finally he found one and tossed it to Dean. He studied it and rolled his eyes. “You’re making me wear a sweater with handprint on it? That’s just weird, Cas.” Dean pulled it over his head and it scratched him all the way down.

            Cas stared at him in awe. Dean smirked.

            “You’re blushing,” he pointed out. Cas covered his cheeks and stepped up to Dean.

            “You look really adorable right now,” Cas said. Dean looked down.

            “Yeah, I’m wearing a handprint sweater and I’m naked from there.”

            “Like I said, adorable,” Cas told him. Dean kissed his cheek and rounded him to put on his pants and boxers. He threw his gross shirt under Cas’s bed.

            “Wash that and then you can keep it,” Dean said. “Get yourself away from these scratchy things once in a while.”

            Cas nodded and pulled on his own sweater and jeans. “Should we go and face the masses?”

            Dean snorted, taking Cas’s hand in his own. He didn’t really care who knew now. Cas was his and he was Cas’s and nothing could take that away. He was brave with his boyfriend there by his side.

            “They’re gonna know we fucked. It’s extremely obvious by the sweaters and my face. However, you always look sexed up, so,” Dean observed. Cas smirked.

            “It’s a gift.”

            “It’s sexy is what it is,” Dean replied.

            “So is that sweater.”

            “You’ve got the weirdest fashion sense,” Dean informed him. “I love it. And you. You know what? This is getting easier.”

            “Well, if you get it out once it’s not hard to repeat. Don’t worry, Dean, you can tell me anything. Like you said, we’re in this together.”

            “That was about sex.”

            “It works for everything we do.” Cas leaned into Dean as they walked down the hill. “For as long as possible.”

            Dean was genuinely, absolutely for real in love and content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to NuwandaSnicket for pointing out to me that my original version of chapter ten was abrupt and not really how I characterized Dean and Cas. You were totally right and I wanted to curse myself for even writing that chapter. Thanks to Nuwanda for that.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Dean knew when camp was ending. He could always tell because the night breezes would get chillier and the trees would start their early fall and the tips of their leaves would turn a sun yellow. The camping numbers would dwindle and the water would feel colder. These signs informed them all that their favorite time of year was already coming to a close.

            In fact, they had two days left. Normally Dean would grow somber at that fact, but this time around he was okay. He missed his parents and his own bed and he knew what lied ahead.

            Cas sent in his application to Kansas U shortly after they reunited and he was accepted…obviously.

            Because the college was only seven minutes away from his house, Dean opted to save a little cash and live at home. Cas, too, was invited to stay with them. John made sure to send them a list of the rules though. Yes, he physically sent a typed out list of rules. Oh, and Cas would be staying in the guest bedroom. Which was fine. Dean didn’t really need his parents to walk in on anything funky. That was the only downside, though.

            Dean was actually excited for school. He’d have Cas beside him and he could see Jo whenever he wanted. Benny was moving up from Louisiana to work at the garage with Dean’s dad, something John and Benny had arranged earlier in the summer and Benny forgot to mention until later. It was perfect because Dean had almost all of his friends with him. Charlie and Hannah would be eight hours away, but they’d be home for most holidays and for the occasional visit. Everything was going to be okay, and for once in his life Dean knew this to be true.

+

 

            The kids left today and the campers had two days to themselves to relax and do whatever before they headed home. After that it was two weeks until the start of school. Dean was nervous, he wasn’t gonna lie, but he knew all would be well.

            Dean sat down across from Charlie and Hannah. It was lunchtime and Gabriel was off the clock. He was going to join them for lunch and then they were all going to go for a leisurely boat ride in Charlie’s speedboat.

            Cas sat down next to Dean. He had to wait because some parents of a kid in his cabin were running late and he had to stay with the kid. Cas opened up his lunch sack and took out the sandwich, banana, cookie and chips Gabriel put in them. Because the days were coming to an end, Gabriel wasn’t exerting himself too much. Cas took a bite out of his sandwich and chewed with a grin.

            “Hungry there?” Dean asked him, leaning into his shoulder. Cas nodded.

            “Very,” he replied, mouth full. Charlie and Hannah laughed and then Benny and Jo joined them with the same lunch in hand.

            “Hey guys,” Dean greeted. Benny nodded.

            “Hello brother,” Benny replied. He opened his bag. “I got ahold of your father today. Said he’d made sure I got that position and I start next week. My mom’s gonna get me an apartment near there and soon I can pay it off myself. It’s perfect.”

            “Dude, that’s great,” Dean said honestly. “But when it’s time to party we’re using your place. Me and Cas are gonna be buckling down at my house. You should see the list of rules the old man came up with. Some of them are ridiculous. But hey, they're letting Cas stay so I ain't complainin'.” Dean nudged Cas.

            Jo snorted. “I can see why. Anyway, he could tell if you two were up to something. Dean would walk out in Cas’s sweater.”

            Dean blushed and Cas cleared his throat. Yeah, that was awkward. The day they both decided to lose their virginity was also the same day everyone ELSE found out they decided to lose their virginity. They walked into the lunchroom, Dean wearing Cas’s ugly sweater, and they were completely disheveled. Not to mention late.

            Charlie had been saving them a seat for an hour and they hadn’t shown and when they did, it was completely obvious.

            And of course Jo had to point it out. When they sat down, mute, Jo said, “How’s the virginity going? Still in tact? Do you need any ice?”

            And Cas had blushed the mightiest of reds and Dean choked on his chocolate milk and it came out his nose. They all laughed about it but the secret was out in 0.2 seconds. However, Jo made them feel better by joking about her first time (which was, surprisingly, not with Benny) and then Hannah blushed, so maybe, just maybe, that was a sign even if she and Charlie hadn’t said anything.

            Oh, and then that same night, Cas and Dean held hands and Gabriel stormed from the kitchen to confront his brother. His apron was covered in bread batter and his hands were on his hips and his face stern.

            “CASTIEL JAMES NOVAK! HOW DARE THIS HAPPEN WITHOUT ME KNOWING!” Yeah, he was loud and basically the whole lunchroom turned to them and then everyone knew and Dean was wearing Cas’s sweater and that wasn’t really nonchalant at all. Gabriel pulled his brother into a hug. “Congrats Cassie.”

            And Cas was relieved that Gabriel was okay with him being gay and Dean was embarrassed because as Gabriel hugged his brother, he eyed Dean’s torso and raised his eyebrows, smirking.

            Then Gabe hugged Dean and warned him not to hurt Cas, yada yada yada, big brotherly stuff he’d say to someone dating Sam, and then he whispered, “You were totally the bottom.” And Dean’s ears got hot and he kind of wanted to punch Gabriel but he also felt completely exposed. He also realized he’d have to put up with Gabriel in the future anyway, so he’d better get used to those outbursts.

            So everyone knew about Dean and Cas and most of them were okay with it. If they weren’t, they didn’t voice their opinions. The kids came and went so their views didn’t matter anyway.

            Dean batted his eyes and shook his head to get himself out of that embarrassing reverie. 

            Gabriel walked over to their table. He was wearing short shorts and a t-shirt with a Led Zeppelin logo on it. Dean commended him for it and finally found something he and Gabriel had in common.

            “Great lunch, Gabe,” Charlie said. “How much effort did you put into this one?”

            Gabriel split his cookie and shoved it in his mouth. “Absolutely none, amigos. I am off the clock. Dunzo. The end.”

            Dean rolled his eyes. “What, no final amazing dinner? Like a steak or something?”

            Gabriel raised his eyebrows. “Are you kidding me? Bobby’d have a heyday if he found out I’d spent hundreds of dollars on delish steaks to cook up. It’s grub and shit for you,” Gabriel told him. He looked at Cas. “Congrats on your acceptance to college, Cassie. Oh, and your new home. I’ll expect to be invited to visit.”

            Dean threw his banana peel in his bag. “Mom’ll love you. Dad, not so much.”

            “Gotta worm my way into Papa Winchester’s lap, then,” Gabriel said, smirking. Dean scrunched his nose.

            “I’ll come visit you too, Gabe. I’m going to have to get a job though.”

            Gabriel’s face went serious. “Mom and dad let you have it for wanting to be a teacher and your choice of going to a public college?”

            Cas shook his head. “Not exactly. Dad freaked out but mom sort of scolded me and then told me she’d send me back to Dean’s with some money for college.”

            Gabriel nodded. “Sounds like mom. I’m pretty sure she’s, like, a rebel like us or something.”

            “We must get it from somewhere,” Cas said. “She was even a little apprehensive but ended up accepting my sexuality. Needless to say I was shocked.”

            Gabriel whistled. “You took a big leap in telling them.”

            Cas nodded. “I figured it’s best to get it all done in one go rather than wait and drop the bomb every once in a while. Again, dad was not happy at all but mom told me she loved me and God loved me, too.”

            “Do I smell divorce?” Gabriel asked, sniffing.

            Cas huffed a laugh. “Maybe. Mom is coming back with me to meet the Winchesters and Dean, and dad opted to stay home. So maybe.”

            “Good riddance to that fucker then,” Gabriel said. “Don’t worry, Dean. Mom’s fairly lovely. She’s still got a stick up her ass, but it’s less barky than the one up dad’s.”

            Dean didn’t really enjoy Gabe’s analogy, but he nodded and smiled at Cas. They’d planned this all out weeks ago. Cas would go home and pack up his things and he and his mom would drive down to Kansas to get him settled. Cas’s mom wanted to meet Dean’s family and his father wanted nothing to do with it. He was shunning Castiel just like he'd done Gabriel. His mom was also going to visit Gabriel, but that part was still secret.

            Sam sat down next to Benny.

            “Hi guys,” Sam said, smiling. He had a letter in his hand and was reading it while multitasking. He ate his apple and everyone looked at him smiling dreamily.

            “Sammy, you’re drooling,” Dean said, snatching the paper from his brother’s hands. The younger Winchester freaked out and reached his long arms over to take it back. Dean was surprised. “Jesus, what’s in there that I can't see, huh?” He leaned forward with his head resting in his hands.

            Sam cowered in on himself. “It’s a letter from Jess.”

            “Ooh,” Dean cooed. “And what might Jess have to say to her wittle boyfriend?”

            Sam rolled his eyes. “Fuck off, Dean,” he said. Dean’s eyes widened at his cursing directed towards him and all of his friends burst out into laughter. Cas nudged Dean and then leaned forward, his eyes curious.

            “How is she doing, Sam?” Cas asked him genuinely. Dean sighed and clasped his hand in Cas’s. Of course Cas would be the gentlemanly one, asking Sam about his girlfriend while Dean joked around.

            Sam shrugged and blushed, looking down. “We decided that when I get my license I’m gonna drive to visit her and when she gets hers, she’ll come to Lawrence. I get my license this year so I can start seeing her soon.”

            “Yeah, that is if you get a car. And she’ll be coming over for Halloween,” Dean informed him. Sam scowled and Cas placed his hand over Sam’s.

            “That sounds great, Sam. It’ll be good you get to see her often.” Cas winked at him and Sam perked up a bit. Dean squirmed.

            “Yeah, Sammy. It’ll be good,” he added. Sam nodded.

            “Thanks Dean.”

            “Don’t be thinkin’ you’ll get the Impala though,” Dean told him. “She’s mine.”

            Sam rolled his eyes. “Obviously, Dean. She smells like your farts anyway.”

            Dean shook his head. “She does not!” He crossed his arms over his chest. Charlie smirked.

            “Yes she does, Dean," the red-head said.

            Dean rolled his eyes and stood up. “Cas, you wanna go eat lunch on the dock with me?”

            Jo whistled. “Ooh, that’s romantic.”

            Dean blushed, but Cas nodded and stood up, their hands still intertwined.

            “See you later.” Cas waved at them. They all smiled and smirked at Dean and Cas as they receded to the doors and exited outside.

+

 

            Dean sat down on the edge of the dock and pulled off his shoes and socks, dipping his feet in. Cas joined him, slipping off his Birkenstocks. Dean pulled out his apple and bit into it, chewing and looking out at the water. There wasn’t much activity on the lake today, but that was probably due to the end of summer. The wind kicked up and the lake lapped up on the shore near them.

            Cas rested his head on Dean’s shoulder and closed his eyes.

            “I’m going to miss this,” Cas muttered. Dean looked down at him.

            “We’ll be back here in a year, Cas,” Dean informed him. Cas wound his hand through Dean’s.

            “Yeah, but this summer was my favorite.”

            Dean chuckled. “Well, we’ll have to make next summer even better then.”

            Cas kicked the water out and droplets splashed up on Dean. He smirked. “How?”

            “Well,” Dean began, “for starters we’ll have sex in all the nooks and crannies of camp.”

            Cas punched his shoulder and Dean laughed and kissed him on the top of the head.

            “Nah, we’ll have time to enjoy each other and be alone. We won’t have schoolwork and maybe dad’ll let me bring Baby next summer and we can drive to town. Catch a movie or two or go out for shitty diner food.”

            Cas nodded. “I’d like that.”

            “Besides,” Dean added, “we’re going to have a lot of crazy fun moments at college, too. Maybe next year we can get ourselves an apartment.” Dean let go of Cas’s hand and wrapped his arm around him, bringing him closer.

            “Yes we will.” Cas leaned up and kissed Dean’s mouth.

            “Do you want to jump in?” Dean asked, voice muffled against Cas’s lips. He pulled away. His eyes fluttered open and he was staring straight into the emerald green of Dean’s.

            He smirked. “You first.” Cas pressed Dean’s back and he fell in, his bag of food tumbling in after.

            Cas covered his mouth, laughing. He was shocked the food fell in too. “Oh my gosh!”

            Dean came up and took a deep breath, shaking his head. Water droplets hit Cas and he leaned back, his hands coming up to block them.

            “Dean!” Cas chuckled. Dean picked up his wet lunch bag and threw it back on the dock.

            “Castiel, you ruined my lunch,” Dean said, wrapping his arms around Cas’s legs. Cas attempted to pull himself away from Dean, but his hold was too strong. “C’mon, Cas. Water’s fine!”

            He swam back and Cas slowly sunk into the water. He came up for air and Dean chuckled as he wiped his eyes.

            “Dean,” Cas said, spitting out water. “You’re dead!” He swam over to him, but Dean wrapped his arms around him in a tight grip. Dean was lucky because he could touch the bottom at this point and Cas was a few inches too short.

            Finally, he stopped squirming and looked straight at Dean. His eyes were squinting with his smile and water clung to his freckles.    

            Dean leaned into Cas and pressed their lips together, still holding his boyfriend tight. He tasted the wet tanginess of the lake on Cas's lips and inhaled the natural perfume of fresh air that seemed to cling to Cas indefinitely. Cas inched away from Dean and sighed.

            “Dean, I can’t breathe,” he stated. Dean let go and swam to the dock and heaved himself up. Water fell in droves from his sopping wet clothes. He turned around and looked down at Cas, smirking. He then scouted the area around him and pulled his shirt over his head. Cas’s teeth started chattering.

            “D-dean, what are you do-oing?”

            Dean raised his eyebrows and took another peek around. He then pulled down his pants and ran and jumped into the water, cannonballing and sending water splashing up over Cas’s head.

            Dean came up and spit water out of his mouth with a grin.

            “Wow,” he said, exhaling deeply. “This is freeing!”

            “You’re half-naked in water. Of course it’s freeing,” Cas pointed out.

            Dean smirked and wiggled around in the dark water. Cas raised an eyebrow and then took boxers to the face. He pulled them off and threw them back on the dock.

            “Really, Dean?” Cas questioned him, looking around. Dean went under the water and Cas felt him run his hands up his shirt. He shivered.

            “Dean,” Cas whined when the older boy came up. Dean smirked.

            “You’re missing out, Cas.”

            “People could come down here,” Cas warned him, looking around again.

            Dean shrugged. “I highly doubt it. Besides, the fun is in the prospect of getting caught.” Dean waggled his eyebrows. Cas sighed and nodded at Dean's odd and horrible mantra.

            “Fine, but if we get caught, I’m blaming this all on you.”

            “That, my friend,” Dean started, “would look like I sexually assaulted you.”

            Cas sighed again. “Fine. We just hope we don’t get caught then.”

            He ran his hands up Cas’s shirt and the shivers returned. The sopping wet tee was thrown up on the dock while Dean took another peek around and then found Cas’s waistband and pulled down. Dean held the material in his hands as he pressed up against Cas in the water. Cas shivered again.

            Dean wrapped his arms around him and rested his chin on Cas’s shoulder. They stayed like that for a couple minutes, Dean warming Cas up in the chilly water. The wind hit their wet faces and Dean’s ears turned bright red.

            “All warmed up?” Dean whispered. He nodded. “Good. I’ll race you to the ropes!”

            Dean started swimming and Cas groaned. “Dean!”

            “I mean it. Whoever loses gives the other a blowjob,” Dean called back.

            “Then get your mouth ready,” Cas muttered, smirking, as he started swimming behind Dean.

+

 

            After a stellar blowjob from the magnificent Cas behind a tree, they both headed back up to the cabins to change and then to the dining hall to wait it out until dinner. Everyone else went on the boat ride and because of some tangents Dean and Cas took, they missed it.

            No one was in the dining hall, but the wonderful smells of roast beef and potatoes and gravy swirled around the hall and made Dean’s post orgasm hunger pang.

            Cas walked back from the kitchen with two coffees and he set one styrofoam cup in front of Dean. He blew on it and took a sip, burning his tongue. Cas smirked and wrapped his hands around his own cup.

            “Dean,” Cas started, messing around with his thin, red straw. “Thank you for everything. You know, this summer and for allowing me to stay in your house for college.”

            Dean smirked. “That one is all on mom. She likes you. Met you one day and all of a sudden you’re the star student of the Winchester home.”

            Cas reached over and took Dean’s hand. “I’m serious, Dean. You didn’t have to do any of this and you did. You’re so kind.”

            Dean blushed. “Don’t say things like that to me, Cas.”

            Cas squeezed his hand. “You’re gonna have to get used to hearing positive things about yourself because I have nothing to say to you but great things.”

            Dean’s heart beat faster and he leaned forward and kissed Cas chastely.

            He pulled away but left their faces inches apart. “I’m going to hate you for it. But thanks.”

            They heard a faint, "No kissing in my kitchen," and Cas grinned as Dean flipped Gabriel off.

            Soon the counselors were entering the dining room to eat. Dean and Cas had already gotten their food and taken their seats since they had been waiting for almost two hours.

            Dean was shoveling food in as if his life depended on it and Cas was cutting his meat into pieces. Benny, Jo, Charlie and Hannah came to sit down, their hair wild from the speedboat.

            “How was the ride, guys?” Dean questioned them, mouth full of gravy and potatoes.

            Benny shoved his fork into his meat. “Perty good. Where were ya’ll?”

            Dean and Cas looked at each other. “Swimming,” Dean informed them, half-truthfully. Jo rolled her eyes in an unbelieving way and Charlie leaned into Cas.

            “Cas, you ready for college?” She questioned him. Cas nodded.

            “I am. I’m sad summer is ending, but I do enjoy the fall. Everything is so crisp and warm and happy.”

            Charlie hugged him and kissed his cheek. “We’re gonna miss you guys.”        

            Dean poked her with his fork. “You won’t be too far away,” he said. “Besides, we can always video chat.”

            “Me too?” Hannah asked. Dean smiled at her.

            “Of course, Hannah. We’ll have to conspire to decide what to get Cas and Charlie for their birthdays since they're three days apart,” he offered. “And I wanna see how your shyness changes by being with Charlie and hanging out on campus.”

            She blushed and Dean winked at her. Sam came and sat down next.

            “Dean, on the way home we’re stopping by Jess’s,” he said without pause. Dean blinked.

            “Sounds good, Sammy. You excited?”

            Sam blushed. “I’m nervous. I haven’t seen her for a while.”

            Dean shrugged. “Trust me,” he started, looking at Cas, “it’s like seeing an old friend again. Nothing really changes.”

            Jo cleared her throat. “Excuse me, love birds. You’re still driving me to high school the first day, right?” Jo questioned them. Dean nodded.

            “Obviously. Gotta take a picture of Jo on her first day of senior year,” Dean told her. “Too bad Benny won’t be there. He could show off a little and then those assholes won’t hit on you like they did last year.”

            Jo raised an eyebrow. “Dean, you know I can beat up those pansy ass fuckers, right?”

            Benny leaned into her, chuckling, and Dean nodded. “Of course. You even scare the hell out of me.”

            Jo nodded and smirked, her clear white teeth peeking through. “Good.”

            “Oh,” Dean said, raising a finger. “Also, mom told me to tell you all that we’re having a Christmas party this year. You all had better show up or you will feel the wrath of Mary Winchester.”

            They all nodded and Gabe came to sit down. “Am I invited?”

            Dean rolled his eyes. “Even if you weren’t, you’d show up. You had better bring some fancy ass wine and those delicious cupcakes if you do, though. That’ll get through to dad and he won’t be as annoyed with your narcissistic, sarcastic attitude.” Dean reached out to take some cookies from Gabriel’s Chips Ahoy! Bag.

            He passed them out and Gabriel 'psht'ed him. “Of course, Dean-o. Daddy will love me in no time.”

            Dean rolled his eyes and took a sip of his water.

            “You all are the best,” Cas muttered. Dean and Charlie turned to him, and then everyone else noticed and rested their eyes on him, too.

            “What was that, brother?” Benny questioned him. Cas brought his eyes up to the group.

            “You are all the best. I’m so happy you allowed Hannah and me to hang out with you. We would have been missing out on some amazing friends.” Cas smiled and Dean placed a hand on his thigh.

            “Ah, Cas, you’re the best, too! You’re so cute,” Charlie said, nuzzling her head in his neck. He turned to her.

            “You and Hannah are awesome,” Jo said. “Maybe not badass, but you put Dean in his place and I’m all about that.”

            Cas smirked and Benny nodded to him in acknowledgement.

            Sam threw a piece of bread at Cas’s face. “You know I think of you like a brother, too, Cas. And Hannah, you’re super cool and I want to talk to you some more about books, so you’d better come visit for Christmas,” he warned. Hannah agreed.

            “Of course, Sam. I wouldn’t miss it. Anyway, Charlie would drag me there.”

            Dean whispered in Cas’s ear. “You’re welcome.”

            Cas set his hand on top of Dean’s and they spent the rest of dinner talking about summer and how the rest of the year would go and when they would see each other.

+

 

            Dean woke, startled by Cas knocking himself in the head on a bunk bed. Dean squinted his eyes in the dark, noticing the empty dip in the bed where Cas was. He pulled back the covers and slipped on his shoes. He wrapped a forest green blanket around his body since it was chilly inside the cabin and then he walked up to Cas who was leaning against the doorframe with a seductive smirk and a twinkle in his eye. His hair was disheveled and his glasses were on. He must have gotten cold in the night because he'd put on a sweater that he paired with his plaid pajama pants and his Birkenstocks. Dean leaned against the wall next to him and Cas opened the screen door.

            “What are you doing, Cas?” Dean questioned him, breaking the silence. Cas held out his hand for Dean to take, so he did.

            He led him behind his cabin and there was a ladder leaned against the roof. Dean looked questioningly at Cas, but he just motioned for him to go up. Dean tied the blanket around his neck like a cape and then climbed the rickety ladder while Cas held it sturdy.

            He heaved himself onto the roof and looked down, watching Cas as he climbed up.

            He helped Cas onto the roof and then stood there, waiting for him to say something. The blue eyed man led him over to the front of the cabin, slowly, making sure his shoes were planted firmly with each step before continuing on.

            At the edge of the front of the cabin, Cas pulled Dean down and they lay on the scratchy material. The roof was a bit uncomfortable on Dean’s back, but when he saw the stars he forgot about it. The view was amazing. The moon was full and the stars were shining brightly against the pitch-black sky. He turned to Cas, the light reflecting in his eyes.

            “This is amazing,” Dean said, awestruck. Cas squeezed his hand.

            “I knew you’d like it.” Cas grinned. Dean scooted closer to him and laid his blanket down on top of them. He wasn’t so tired anymore and the night was beautiful and the air crisp. Cas was looking especially stunning in the natural dark-light of the moon and the sound of the water lapping against the shore was the soundtrack to their silent night. Dean couldn’t help but to feel it was all a dream it was so unreal.

            Cas reached into his pocket and pulled out a paper folded over many times. Dean furrowed his brow when Cas handed it to him.

            “I figured since you were asking me all the questions, it was finally my turn to ask one of my own.” Dean kissed his cheek and started to unfold it.

            He stared down at the question on the paper and his heart beat faster and he suddenly felt hot, even in the brusque night air.

            _Dean, I love you. I know you love me, too. My question is: can you promise me we will be together for as long as we can be?_

Dean turned to Cas, who was still staring straight up at the stars. He squeezed Cas’s hand to get his attention.

            “Of course, you idiot,” Dean told him. He rolled over, maneuvering slowly so that he was on top of Cas. “I love you.”

            Cas stared up at him, pursing his lips in annoyance. “You’re blocking the stars.”

            Dean rolled his eyes. “Am I not a star?

            “The brightest of them all,” Cas told him. Dean beamed.

            “Of course, Cas, we can be together forever if you want to be.”

            “What if someone else comes along?” Cas asked him curiously, rather than in a nervous tone.

            Dean shook his head. “There is no one else, Cas. You’re my best friend and the only person I’ve ever loved in my life. I’m not capable of expressing that to anyone else.”

            Cas fisted Dean’s shirt in his hand and pulled him closer to seal their lips. Dean opened his mouth and shivered against the night wind. Cas covered the blanket over him and ran his hands up Dean’s bare back.

            “Can we get a dog?” Cas asked him.

            “What, you not gonna bring Spock with you?” Dean whispered against Cas’s mouth.

            “I don’t know if my dad will let me.”

            “He’s your dog. I can come up with you if you want. I’m all about saving animals. Actually, scratch that. Bring Sammy. He'll scare the hell outta your dad and that dog will be yours in seconds.”

            Cas chuckled, his minty breath hitting Dean’s. “I’ll bring Spock. Will your mom let me?”

            Dean rested his forehead against Cas’s. “Of course. But by the end of his stay he’ll be Sam’s dog. What about Tigger?”

            Cas kissed up Dean’s jawline. “I was thinking about giving that assbutt to Gabriel for his birthday.”

            “It sounds like they’d get along swimmingly,” Dean said. “Yes, we can get a dog later on. But if we have Spock, the other has to be Bones or Captain Kirk.”

            Cas smirked. “Or Uhura for a girl dog.”

            “Or Uhura,” Dean agreed.

            Cas now ran his hands up Dean’s shirt and rested them at the nape of his neck. “What about a car?”

            “Baby. Duh.”

            “Are you going to have an affair with this car?” Cas questioned him.

            “Hate to break it to you, babe,” Dean whispered, “but she was with me before I was ever with you.”

            Cas smirked.

            “And if you want a house, we can get a house. Obviously after college. Shit like that is expensive,” Dean added. Cas widened his eyes and Dean squinted his.

            “What?”

            “I’d love that. I’d love that so much, Dean,” Cas said. Dean blushed and nodded.

            “Then we’ll do that. Maybe when Bobby gets too old we can buy the camp from him and keep it going. He was talking about that at one point.”

            Cas nodded. “I think we’re addicted to this place.”

            Dean shook his head. “Nah, I think it holds memories too precious to let go.”

            Cas kissed Dean’s mouth again and Dean pulled away this time.

            “Do you think we could have sex on the roof, or would we fall off or scrape our asses on…whatever the hell this thing is made out of. It feels like sandpaper.”

            “I think your dreams are still only dreams,” Cas informed him. “Probably won’t be any roof sex.”

            “What about warm bed inside cabin sex?” Dean offered. Cas chuckled.

            “I think that can be arranged.”

            Cas reached up and pecked the sun-kissed freckles on Dean’s nose and he rolled over.

            They stared up at the stars for a couple more minutes in silence, thinking about the future and reminiscing on the summer that became everything. Dean started to only worry about petty things, like where Spock would sleep. And he worried about when Gabe visited. He wondered how he would keep dad away from everything Gabriel would obviously do. He worried about the separation between him and Charlie and Hannah, but he knew this and all the other things would work out. He didn’t worry about Cas because he knew he would be with him in the long run. This time he wasn’t afraid of that. He would get a little down on himself and Cas would pick him back up and Dean would do the same to his boyfriend. Everything would pan out and if things went awry, they knew how to fix it.

            He turned to Cas and looked into his jolly rancher blue eyes, his heart beating fast like the first couple of times Cas came into his life this year. This would probably continue for years to come.

            “Cas, I’m glad we became friends this year,” Dean whispered. Cas smiled genuinely; the smile Dean fell for.

            “We’re not friends, Dean,” Cas informed him. Dean rolled his eyes and leaned in, pressing his mouth against Cas's. He kissed the little nerd with weird sweaters and Cas kissed the jackass who flirted with him from day one.

 

           


	12. Friends

Dean pulled into an empty parking space. It was eight in the morning and even though he didn’t have a class until ten, he figured it was best to head in early because of all the rumors going around that there wasn’t enough parking for all the students.

            His Impala purred as he idled in the spot, Led Zeppelin’s “All of My Love” playing quietly through the speakers. The sun was peeking through the trees and the campus was green and full of students already.

            Dean looked over to the empty seat next to him. Cas would be there tomorrow, but today his mother and Gabriel decided to drop him off at school. Castiel’s mother ended up staying in a hotel for the two weeks before school as she and Cas caught up with one another. She visited the Winchester’s to become more involved with the family who would be taking care of her son. Gabriel stayed with the Winchester’s as well so as to make sure Cas got situated and to visit his mom. Also, he fell in love with Spock. Gabriel ended up forgiving her for behaving the way she did all those years ago and they worked out some sort of bond between them. Cas, too, was happy she was forgiving and accommodating to his new life. Though she hadn’t said anything about their father, Dean knew that probably wasn’t going to last long. He enjoyed Mrs. Novak, but their father seemed like a dick.

            Oh, and John somehow ended up liking Gabriel. The older Novak theorized it was just because of his personality, but Dean was betting it was the expensive liquor Gabriel gave as a present.

            Now that Castiel was living with the Winchester’s, Dean thought life was perfect. He’d never been happier. Cas's room was across from Dean's and he decorated it to fit his own likes and made it home. Dean loved his room. In fact, he loved it so much so that he had been staying in it for the past two weeks. Surprisingly, only Sam had busted them (luckily just lying in bed, nothing else).

            Gabriel lived a couple of hours away and John told him to come and visit whenever he felt like it, which Gabriel graciously would uphold.

            Benny had an apartment a couple of blocks away, and though he had his truck, the shop was only a simple walk from the building. He started his new job last week and enjoyed every second of it. He and Jo spent some time with Dean and Cas during the final week of summer after Benny got off. He was excited because Mary invited him over whenever he felt like having a home cooked meal and John took him breakfast every morning. Benny was well fed and living the life.

            Jo started high school two days ago and she absolutely abhorred it, but she made some new friends. She'd gone over to Benny’s after school for the past couple of days and stayed until nighttime (much to Ellen’s dismay). However, Ellen ended up liking Benny and trusted him enough to let Jo stay until ten at the latest.

            Hannah and Charlie left five days ago. Hannah took off from her hometown and Charlie from Kansas. They were renting out an apartment together in Denver, and Hannah was going to find a job while Charlie went to classes. It was perfect and quaint for them and because it was Denver, they had the city and outskirts to do some fun activities. Dean and Cas promised they would visit in the springtime.

            Sam was back in high school and obviously he was excited to be there. He had his reading list, his new brother and his girlfriend. He was living the life and not only that, he hit his growth spurt over the summer and somehow became the popular guy of sophomore year.

            And Dean…well, Dean was content. Everything was panned out for the year and though things could change, he figured they wouldn’t veer off the path too much.

            He turned off Baby and ran a hand over her leather seat.

            “Oh, Baby, it’s good to be back. Have a good day now, y’hear?” Dean muttered. He shoved the keys in his back pocket and slid his backpack onto his back. The door creaked as he slammed it. He turned to campus and took a deep breath.

            He slid his hand down Baby’s side for comfort as he walked forward towards his future.

            Dean took his cell phone out of his pocket and found his conversation with Cas.

            He stopped so he could text. (He was like a Grandpa when it came to technology).

            _Are you here yet?_

He began walking again, holding the phone in his hand so he could feel when it vibrated. He passed two buildings before he received a text. He shielded his screen from the sun to read the reply.

            _I C U._

Dean looked up, bringing his hand to his forehead. He squinted his eyes and looked around for his boyfriend but all he saw were people heading towards the center of campus.

            He felt dumb for not noticing the completely obvious Cas leaning against a tree with a bright red sweater that had an embroidering of a book on it. It was a god-awful sweater, but damn if it didn’t make Dean smile like a lovesick fool. He shoved his phone into his pocket and picked up the pace as he walked to Cas.

            As he got closer he noticed Cas was wearing his big glasses, too. He furrowed his brow in confusion and finally stopped when he reached Cas.

            “Hey,” Dean said, smirking. Cas nodded to him. “Cas, you’re like a blinking red sign. You do know it’s supposed to be eighty degrees today, right?”

            Cas shrugged. “I’ll roll up the sleeves.”

            Dean rolled his eyes and laughed. “God, you’re weird.”

            Cas picked up his backpack. “I see you’re bullying me on my first day already.”

            Dean brushed a pine needle off Cas’s shoulder. His eyes then rested on Cas's blue ones. “I do what I can. You leave me no choice, anyway. You have a book sewn onto red fabric. You’re literally gonna die by time noon rolls around,” Dean said, his hand still resting on Cas’s shoulder.

            Cas smirked and pulled up his sweater, revealing Dean’s AC/DC shirt.

            Dean's heart fluttered at the memory of that shirt and Cas let his sweater fall. “You told me I could have it.”

            “Absolutely,” Dean told him. “I’m glad you somewhat dressed appropriately for the weather.”

            Cas rolled his eyes. “Yep. So no more making fun of me now.”

            Dean reached out and took off his glasses. “Um…yes I can. You wore the glasses. Is this a fashion statement?”

            Cas scowled jokingly and snatched them back from Dean. “No. For whatever reason my contacts hurt my eyes when I put them in this morning. I think the lake water upset them. I was forced to bring these bad boys out.”

            Dean chuckled. “Well, four eyes, you look like one of those adorable, googly eyed animals you find on Hallmark cards.”

            Cas punched Dean in the shoulder. “Don’t be an asshole. I’m going to my writ class now.”

            He turned and Dean stopped him by holding his shoulder. He stepped forward.

            “I’ll walk you there, nerd.” Dean leaned in and kissed Cas on the mouth. He blushed and looked down at Dean’s extended hand. “C’mon, let’s go.”

            Cas took it and Dean smiled at him.

            “Are you going to make fun of me tomorrow?” Cas asked his boyfriend as they entered the throng of students. Dean’s heart pounded.

            “Are you going to be Castiel Novak tomorrow?” Dean questioned him, looking down with amusement playing in his green eyes.

            Cas bitch faced.

            “Then yes. Always and forever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who have commented and kept up with this story as I wrote it! You all are the best! I thank you for the positive feedback and the constructive criticism. I had a lot of fun writing this.
> 
> To anyone who reads this after it is over, still comment and kudos because I love attention! Just kidding...I sit in my bed and hope no one calls me downstairs or talks to me. Anyway, I hope this fit expectations people had about it, and if it didn't...sorry, and I hope it ended okay!
> 
> You guys are seriously the best!


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it has been a while. I was going to do a series for this story, but I haven't been motivated because I haven't been watching Supernatural. I'm not a big fan of the new storyline. However, I promised an epilogue, so here it is! I hope you all like it. Thank you for reading this story and for being understanding about me not doing a sequel.
> 
> As always, enjoy!

Dean ran a hand through his sweaty hair. He’d grown it out over the last couple of months, the blond more visible with length. He now regretted it as the hot early June sun beat down on the camp. He yawned, eyeing the empty travel mug, wishing for a refill of the crappy cup of joe the gas station a mile back stocked up on.

Bobby and Crowley faltered down the little hill that lead to the fold out table Dean was sitting at near the Main Hall. Bobby’s beard was greying and the hate wrinkles in Crowley’s face appeared more prominent than previous years. They grumbled and ‘harumphed’ on their way to Dean and then plopped down in the old, chipping fold out chairs across from him.

“Mornin’,” Bobby grumbled, slamming a yellow manila folder on the table. Crowley crossed his legs and squinted at Dean.

“How goes it, Bobby?” Dean copied Crowley’s face, looking at the grumpy man.

“Oh you know. I ain’t bellyaching, but I could be,” he said, opening the folder and bringing out a bunch of official looking papers. “Thanks for doing this, son.”

Dean looked at Bobby and leaned back in his chair, bringing the legs off the ground. “Honestly, Bobby, even though it’s a favor, it’s also an honor. Cas and I didn’t even have to think about your offer all that much. I should be thanking you for thinking of us in the first place.”

Bobby chuckled and Crowley rolled his eyes. “You know you’re my first choice. It helps that you ended up getting’ your business degree, too. Sammy was always welcome to join you, but he’s gonna be a big bad lawyer in a couple of years.”

Dean chuckled. “He hopes. His grades have been slipping since he and Jess decided to move in together.”

“He’s been studying something else,” Crowley muttered and Dean glared at him.

“Anyway, we promise we’ll run the camp smoothly and make sure nothing changes. It’ll be good ole Camp Georgetown. You’d better visit and stuff,” Dean ordered, taking the papers from the folder and eyeing them down. “Retirement doesn’t suit you.”

Bobby raised an eyebrow. “You do remember I live here, right? How many years have you been away from the place?”

Dean ignored the old man and took the pen Crowley had set on the table. His heart was pounding as he looked at the blank lines where he was to sign in order for the camp to be passed on to him. He’d gotten his degree two years ago and in the two years after, he’d been job searching and helping out at the garage with Benny and his dad. When Bobby had offered handing the camp and all its summer and winter duties, Dean was quick to snatch up the job. Cas had originally wanted to teach high school, but he ended up going back to graduate school. He was now working on his doctorate while teaching online classes at a smaller college a half an hour away from camp. They both packed up their things and moved to Camp Georgetown a month ago as Cas wrapped up his first year teaching. He would continue to teach his online classes while helping out with camp, travelling to the college whenever he had meetings or office hours. All the pieces fell into place, and now they both had steady jobs at the age of twenty-five. Or would have. Once Dean signed the official papers.

He clicked the pen and started signing the blank spaces, trying as best he could with his mechanic handwriting. Bobby leaned back in his chair, looking up at the clear blue sky. The lake lapped up on the shore and the birds chirped in the pine trees.

“Alright….here andddddd….there we go.” Dean stuck his tongue out as he signed the final two pages, dotting his ‘I’ and and crossing his ‘t’.

Bobby shoved the papers into the folder and stood up, holding his hand out to Dean.

“Congrats, Dean Winchester, on your new camp and business conquest. I trust you will run it swimmingly,” Bobby said, shaking Dean’s hand.

Dean smiled at him and nodded, assuring Bobby he wouldn’t make mistakes.

“Or run it into the ground. Seems to be your M.O.” Crowley stood up slowly and held out his chubby hand for Dean to take as well. Dean slapped his hand in an awkward high five.

“Thanks a lot, Crowley. Hey, what are you gonna do now that you’ve retired? You gonna go back to hell? I’m sure everyone misses you.”

Crowley grunted in response and shoved his hands into his jacket pocket, waiting for Bobby to head into town.

“Where is Cas, by the way?” Bobby asked, looking up at Baby to see if he was in the car. “Thought he’d be here?”

Dean flushed, knowing Bobby would ask the question but not really prepared to give him an answer.

“Well uh…Hannah and Charlie took him to a movie. As per my request.”

Bobby squinted, sizing Dean up.

“You gonna pop the question?” Bobby asked nonchalantly.

Dean choked on his spit and looked down at his work boots, the tips of his ears reddening, and not from the sun.

“How’d you, uh, how’d you know?” His voice was gravelly and low as he asked Bobby.

His uncle placed a hand on his shoulder. “The only reason Cas wouldn’t be by your side is because you’re plannin’ something for him. That, plus you bein’ together for seven years and not doin’ anythin’ about it led me to believe you finally got your ass in gear. Congrats, son.” Bobby squeezed his shoulder and Dean smiled.

“Don’t say congrats yet. He might say no.”

Bobby snorted. “Doubt that word is in his vocabulary when he’s around you.”

Dean beamed and slid his rickety chair back under the fold out table.

“Good luck.”

Dean nodded and watched as Bobby and Crowley retreated to the parking space and hopped in the old blue Mustang. He waved them off and turned around to stare at the lake. It was a perfect day for asking Cas to marry him. If he could get over the jitters that seemed to have rushed over him since Bobby figured out what he was doing. The last time Dean was this nervous was when he and Cas first had sex. Hell, he still got nervous when they had sex.

Now his head was rambling. He’d probably had too much caffeine and Bobby actually saying the words “pop the question” really put his life in perspective. He wasn’t anxious because of a possibility Cas could say no (which he absolutely wouldn’t)…he was just on edge because he didn’t know if he would be a good husband to Cas, who deserved everything good.

He slid his hand into his leather jacket and molded his hand around the velvety blue casing of the ring he’d chosen. It was a simple gold band, nothing too fancy, but he knew Cas would like it.

Releasing the case, Dean turned on his heel and picked up the travel mug, making his way inside the Main Hall to brew a pot of coffee.

“Hey asshole!”

Dean jumped a foot back from the coffee machine, the grounds from the spoon falling all over the floor. Dean grabbed his heart and turned his head to the doorway of the staff room.

Gabriel, with his long blond hair and short, stout stance, leaned against the doorframe, mischievous smile on his mouth and smatterings of flour and cookie dough on his white apron.

“Jesus, dude. What the hell are you doing here?” Dean shoved the spoon back in the canister and closed the top of the coffee maker, pressing a button to start it.

Gabriel stepped into the room and heaved himself onto the counter to sit on it. Dean opened a maintenance door and pulled out a small broom and dustpan to clean the grounds.

“Well, I’m here to make snacks.”

“For the kids? You’re, like, a week early. Besides, I’m the new camp director here, and my first duty as camp director is to fire your ass.”

Gabriel ‘tsked’ and fiddled around with the cupboards.

“I’ll make sure my little brother divorces you if that happens,” Gabriel said, eyebrows waggling while a smirk spread across his face.

“Divorce? He’d never divorce…” Dean looked up at the tiny man as soon as he understood what Gabriel had just said. “Dude! How’d you know?”

“Jo told me. I’m holding this against you, by the way. You’ll tell everyone else but not me, your lover’s sexy brother who has helped him through thick and thin.”

“Jo knows?!” Dean grabbed fistfuls of his hair and leaned against the counter. “Come on. Who else knows?”

Gabriel, realizing he’d let out a secret he probably wasn’t supposed to tell, stared down at his shoes. “Uh…well, everyone.”

“Who’s everyone?” Dean asked through gritted teeth.

Gabriel put his hand in front of his face, counting off the people on his fingers. “Me, Charlie, Jo, Hannah, Benny, Sam, Jess, your mom, your dad, MY mom…and, oh, and Eileen.”

Dean felt exasperated, his eyebrows furrowing, a look of defeat on his face.

“Who’s Eileen?”

“My new girlfriend who works at the bakery with me back home.”

Dean groaned into his hands and sighed.

“Does Cas know?”

Gabriel shook his head vigorously. “Of course not. Are you kidding? We may all know, but we aren’t dumb enough to tell Cas.”

Well, good. Even if everyone else knew, at least Cas didn’t.

“How did everyone find out? I mean I knew Charlie knew, but I know she wouldn’t tell anyone.”

Gabriel looked as though he was straining to remember. “Uh…I think Jess started the rumor wheel. She was at the mall with her friend and she saw you looking for rings. And Dean Winchester doesn’t go out to buy rings for fun.”

“Well, I guess I can’t be mad then. So…the cookies?”

Gabriel hopped off the counter and winked at Dean.

“See you later.”

Dean furrowed his brow, but then shook his head. Gabriel was odd anyway.

He finished cleaning up the coffee grounds mess and then poured himself the new brew, topping it off with a little bit of creamer he found in the fridge.

He looked at his watch. 11:23. Charlie would drop off Cas in a half an hour. A half an hour to force himself to calm down and rehearse what he wanted to say to Cas.

Dean decided to release all of his anxieties by walking around the grounds, making sure everything was up to code and making notes of the things that needed to be fixed or upgraded. He even forced himself up the hill of hell to check out the cabins up there for anything wrong. In all honesty, he forced himself up to reminisce.

He remembered the summer where they’d finally become friends and then something more. He remembered his lankier self with his Captain America backpack, strutting up the steps of the cabin and knocking on the door confidently, only to have that confidence distinguish when the most handsome man he’d ever seen stepped up to the screen with one of his lame ass sweaters.

Dean was gone for Cas right then and there, he realized.

Dean smiled at the memory and rounded the cabin to the side where wildflowers were peeking up beside the dark wood. There, carved in a tiny heart, were the initials of Cas and himself, dated a year after they started dating.

It was their first anniversary date. Dean dressed in the nicest clothes he had and took Cas out for dinner at one of the fancier restaurants in town. Cas had worn a white dress shirt and blue tie with some black slacks, his hair a frenzy on his head.

After their dinner, they’d returned back to the cabins past curfew and had been caught by Crowley. They were reprimanded and ordered to stay put while he went to go and get Bobby. Dean, the rebel, snuck them both out of the cabin using his lock picking skills, and they’d both gone up to the cabins on the hill of hell to hide out. That year, whether a break week or not, the cabins went unused. Not as many kids signed up for camp that summer and thus, the least efficient cabins remained vacant. Which was a perfect hiding place for Cas and Dean.

They laughed, out of breath from hiking up the hill, and then lay down in the grass between the cabins and looked up at the stars. They’d talked for hours about everything and nothing, and then, as they grew tired, Cas took out his pocketknife and scratched the heart into the wood, adding their initials in the middle.

Dean had said, “How cliché, Cas”, but it had made his heart flutter. In fact, so much so, that they retired to one of the empty cabins and Dean showed him just how much he made his heart flutter.

A guitar riff from one of Led Zeppelin’s songs brought Dean out of his reverie and he dug into his jean pocket, pulling out the phone and bringing it to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey Dean, it’s Charlie. We just dropped Cas off but there’s no sign of you.”

“Shit, tell him I’ll be down at the Main Hall in a minute.”

Dean sprinted down the hill, the impact making his knees hurt, but he didn’t care. He followed the path until he reached the Main Hall and was too caught up in meeting Cas that he almost missed him.

“Dean!”

Dean slid to a stop in the gravel and turned on his heel. Cas was sitting on a bench outside of the Main Hall, a toothy smile on his face. His hair was disheveled, as per usual, and he wore a maroon t-shirt and some jeans. Around his waist was a forest green sweater that, if Dean recalled right, had a campfire on it.

“Cas! Jesus, I’m sorry, I meant to meet you.”

Cas shrugged. “What’s the rush? There are only so many places you can go up here.” He chuckled and stood up, walking over to Dean and then pulling him in for one of their mundane, we’ve-been-together-for-years kisses.

Dean blushed and huffed out a laugh. “Uh, yeah, you’re right.”

They remained in awkward silence for a moment while Cas looked around the camp, waiting for Dean to say something.

“So…did you sign the papers?”

Dean nodded ferociously and Cas’s mouth quirked up at the side, amused at Dean’s jittery state.

“Great. Are you happy?”

Again, Dean nodded, and Cas slid his hands down Dean’s shoulders to his biceps, squeezing them.

“Calm down, Dean. You look like you’re guilty of something.” Cas paused. “You didn’t hurt Crowley, did you?”

Dean shook his head. “Of course not, no…you’re right. I’m sorry. I guess I’ve just had too much coffee.”

Cas rolled his eyes. “I told you that you need to tone it down. In a couple of years your teeth will be yellow and I won’t want you anymore.”

Dean stiffened and when Cas laughed, Dean let out the breath he’d been holding in.

“So, why are we here? I thought we were going back home to unpack some more things before we started getting settled here. I have a little bit of work to catch up on before summer classes start and you should probably-.”

“Come with me.”

Dean wrapped both of his arms around one of Cas’s and led him around the Main Hall to the big hill that met the water. Cas’s eyes were wide, but he allowed Dean to take him.

When they reached the lake’s waters, Dean took Cas’s hand in his own and they walked along the shoreline and through a bundle of trees until they reached the dock.

Still silent, they stepped onto the dock and walked down the length of it to the edge, staring out at the massive lake. There were a couple of fishing boats in the distance, but the motorboats and skis and jet skis were nowhere to be seen.

Dean sighed.

“It hasn’t changed much, has it?”

Cas looked questioningly at him, but indulged him anyway.

“Not really. Except for us, maybe. Remember when we were twelve and we were both doing the water sports games with our cabins? I was wearing a t-shirt and you made fun of me because all the guys were bare chested.”

Dean snorted. “In my defense, your t-shirt said ‘Miss Beauty Pageant of 1985’.”

“It was all they had in the lost and found here!”

“You got it from lost and found? I’d better ask Bobby what he was up to in 1985.”

Cas chuckled and they both stared out at the water for a couple more minutes. Dean couldn’t really enjoy it as much as he would have liked as his heart was racing a million miles an hour and the hand that held Cas’s was sweating buckets. If Cas noticed, he didn’t say anything.

It was probably time. Hell, it was probably time years ago, but Dean was ready now, no matter how nervous he was.

“Cas?”

Cas turned and looked at him, his blue eyes wide and vast, always taking Dean in and never shifting away.

And in looking at the endless blue, the words that had finally reached the tip of Dean’s tongue escaped and he was left standing in a stuttering mess.

“I…uh…I…dammit…” Dean shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out the mass that was in it.

“Do you want some Starbursts?”

Cas let out a shuddered breath and his mouth quirked up.

“Sure.”

They both sat down, their long legs dangling off of the dock, while Dean divvied up the candy, making sure he had more red than Cas.

They started unfolding their pieces and popped them into their mouths.

“This is where I had my first kiss,” Dean said through the wad in his mouth.

Cas nodded. “Me too. Best first kiss ever.”

Dean nudged Cas’s shoulder with his own and opened up the next piece.

“I was so scared that day. I remember my heart beating out of my chest. I thought you were dating Hannah and I was so profoundly hurt by that because I loved you a lot. And then when I handed you that question like a kid in grade school, I wanted to get up and run away from you and never come back. I was so embarrassed and I was a hundred percent sure you didn’t like me.”

Cas placed a gentle hand on Dean’s.

“I’m glad you didn’t run away. I was nervous, too. I was going to tell you that I liked you that day, but I didn’t think you’d like me like that. Even though my mind was set on telling you, I felt like you wouldn’t think of me like that. And then I saw your face when you handed me that note and I just knew.”

“What was my face?”

Cas bit his lip and smiled.

“The same one you have now.”

Dean’s cheeks flushed and the tips of his ears grew hot.

Cas turned to face Dean, sitting on his knees.

“Where is it, Dean? If you don’t bring it out and say a bunch of heartwarming words that almost bring me to tears, I will tickle you.”

Trust Cas to be straightforward and to understand Dean’s intentions when he wasn’t prepared to do something without a little nudge.

Dean sat cross-legged and reached into his leather jacket, fumbling for the velvet box. He wrapped it in his palm, taking a deep breath, and then pulled it out.

He looked into Cas’s eyes, which had fallen to the box in Dean’s hand.

“Castiel…Cas…I should have married you the first day we met. Yes, when we were ten years old. Charlie used to make up marriage licenses on the playground when we were younger, so I could have made it official here at camp.”

Cas chuckled and stared at Dean, his blue eyes more watery than before.

“I should have married you when I was making fun of your braces and your glasses. You would have looked like a winner in a tuxedo with matching braces.”

The words were flowing out of Dean so easily now. He just needed a push in the right direction and now that he was saying things, he couldn’t stop.

“I should have married you when I stepped up to your cabin that summer and you came back at me with a comeback that slapped me right off of my high horse. I should have married you when I was confused and was jealous of you and Hannah, even if I could just rub it in her face. I should have married you right here on this dock when I first kissed you and I should have married you when you came to me at a bad time, insisting and reaffirming who I was. I should have married you when we first made love, even though I felt like I wasn’t doing it right enough, the way it should have been for you. And I should have married you every day after that for seven years. And the reason I didn’t is because I already saw us as married.”

Cas let a tear slip as he clenched his jaw, remaining quiet while Dean let down his wall and allowed his feelings to flow freely.

“When we barely knew each other, we were fighting like a married couple. When we became friends, which was the best thing to happen to me, we acted like a married couple. Since we became boyfriends, we’ve lived like a married couple. I’m already married to you Cas, but, if you’ll have me, we can make it official and you can wear this fancy ring I bought. We can even have a wedding ceremony, but I’ll only arrive to kiss you longingly, eat the pie, yes, pie, and then get the hell out of there after an hour so I can kiss you and love you as Mr. Winchester.”

Cas threw himself forward and flung his arms around Dean, pressing a heated kiss onto his mouth. Dean pressed the palms of his hands firmly onto Cas’s back, the ring left forgotten on the dock, and kissed him back. When Cas pulled away, Dean was completely on his back, legs splayed on the dock while Cas leaned over him, a gummy smile on his wet face. Dean reached a hand up and thumbed away the tears, lifting his head up to place a chaste kiss on Cas’s lips.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Dean said, his breath hot against Cas’s face.

“Absolutely, you idiot.”

Cas leaned down to kiss Dean again, but he was halted by the sounds of cheers and clapping coming from the tree line.

Cas immediately sat back on his heels while Dean struggled to sit up. Everyone came piling out from behind the trees and onto the docks, wolf whistling and clapping with mixes of ‘congratulations’ or ‘finallys’ echoing around them.

Charlie, Hannah, Gabriel, Benny, Jo, John, Mary, Sam, Jess and Cas’s mom all hovered around them, asking questions and clapping them on the back. Dean’s ears were so hot that he thought he would catch fire. Cas was graciously nodding to everyone, awkwardness shielded behind his eyes where only Dean could find it.

“Guys, guys, Jesus, give us a little space!” Dean shooed everyone away, even just a little bit, so he could catch his breath. “I haven’t even put the ring on Cas’s finger, you peeping toms. Don’t you guys have a life?”

“Yes, we all do, and we want to see you get on with yours,” Jo said sarcastically, clapping Dean on the shoulder. “Nice speech by the way. It was a tearjerker.”

Dean flipped her off and put everyone out of his mind, pretending they were all far away, perhaps in another dimension.

“Before we were rudely interrupted, I was going to put the ring on your finger,” Dean said, taking the velvet box in his hand.

“Looked like it was going somewhere else if you asked me,” Gabriel muttered and Cas shot him a look that could kill.

Dean opened the box and pulled the ring out of the placeholder. He took Cas’s left hand and slid the ring down his finger. Engaged Cas looked hot, if Dean could say so himself, but he couldn’t do anything about it with all of his friends and family looking on.

They all ‘oohed’ and ‘awwed’ and then crowded around them again, Gabriel shouting, “I made cookies for everyone to celebrate!”

Once they’d each congratulated Dean and Cas, they all headed up the hill to the Main Hall to eat some of Gabriel’s delicious cookies. As Cas prepared to follow them, Dean took ahold of his wrist and turned him around, planting a kiss on his lips.

“I love you, Cas. I’m sorry if I took too long to ask you.”

“Hell, I could have asked you,” Cas replied, his breath hot against Dean’s lips. “It felt like we were already married to me as well. But…I am glad you asked me. Now I can steal all your money and run away to be with my other husband you don’t know about.”

Dean snorted. “Jokes on you, I don’t have money.”

Cas ‘tsked’. “I guess I’ll have to marry you for love then.”

He untied the sweater around his waist as a gust of wind came up over the trees and practically blew them into the water. He pulled it over his head and Dean looked down at it, the big campfire embroidered in the middle.

“Twenty-five years old and you still wear those things.”

“Cuz you love them.”

“Psht. Sure.”

“I’ll wear one that has a tuxedo embroidered on it at the wedding.”

“You wont!”

“Why not?”

Dean waggled his eyebrows.

“Because I’ll be so turned on I’ll forget everyone in the room and have you up at the alter.”

“Dean, that is so sacrilegious, I don’t even know what to say,” Cas said, trying to be serious through his laughter.

“You say, ‘In order to make you keep your dick in your pants, I will wear a nice tuxedo for the wedding. When we get back to our room, I will put on the tuxedo sweater’.”

Cas chuckled. “Alright. All that better happen. I’m envisioning it now and kinda want to go back home,” he said seductively.

Dean paused, finding himself a little turned on by the thought, and then nodded.

“Okay, we stop to grab a few cookies and then we’re outta here.”

“Even when I’m offering you my body you still can’t pass up food.”

Dean opened his eyes wide and held out his hands in front of Cas.

“Oh Cas, do you not know me? I’ve been married to food long before I decided to marry you. You’re my sloppy seconds.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, you dork.”

                                                                                             


End file.
